The Unsinkable Kim Possible
by cmanuk
Summary: Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable were always meant to be together. But what would have happened if they had met aboard the doomed maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic? Coming from different worlds and set against a dramatic backdrop, will their love survive?
1. Chapter 1

_I had this idea for a crossover story after watching the movie. It nagged at me for months and I finally decided to go ahead and do it. Obviously I own none of the characters in this story. The Kim Possible characters all belong to Disney and the Titanic characters are from the movie by James Cameron. I know there's another Kim Possible/Titanic crossover story that was recently added to the site, but for the record I had the idea for this story long before that story appeared here, and I have no intention of ripping off any ideas from it._

**The Unsinkable Kim Possible**

Our story begins in the deep dark crushing depths of the ocean. No light penetrates this deeply from the surface. But two points of light appear, faint at first but rapidly growing brighter. The lights continue to grow, revealing two Deep Submersibles, dropping steadily downwards in a silent plummet towards the oceans floor. Inside the crafts cramped interior the pilot sits at rapt attention, focusing on the controls in front of him. Next to him sits Josh Mankey, a blonde haired man in his late forties, pale blue eyes closed fast in sleep. A natural adventurer at heart, but with a softer poetic side, he is the man in charge of this expedition. Sitting opposite him is Wade Load, the slightly tubby twenty something computer genius, recruited for his technical knowledge, ability to operate advanced robotic equipment and his numerous PhDs. The pilot, taking note of the reading on the sonar, quickly adjusts the ballast settings. The pale moonlike seabed comes into view and with a loud thud the craft hits bottom, jerking both Mankey and Load out of their sleep.

The pilot lets out a small satisfied sigh. "We're here"

A few minutes later the two craft, Mir 1 and 2, were skimming along the ocean floor, the deafening silence of the ocean being broken only by the sound of the sonar equipment and the loud hum of the thrusters. Wade's eyes were fixed on the sonar display, where the outline of a huge wedge shaped object was rapidly filling the screen.

"She's 13 meters dead ahead. You should be able to see it"

Josh already had his face pressed against the tiny forward porthole in anticipation of this moment. Like a ghostly phantom appearing out of the gloom, the bow of a ship came into view, its tip ploughed roughly into soft sediment, partly buried. The RMS Titanic. Or what little of it remains after its long slumber at the bottom of the sea.

"Ok" said Josh. "Take us up and over the bow rail"

Mir 1 lifted, raising up and gliding over the intact, but rust covered bow railings. Josh picked up a video camcorder, thumbing on the record button and aiming it to view outside, more of the ships rusted exterior coming into view. Josh's voice was soft as he spoke

"It still gets me every time. To see the sad ruin of the great ship sitting here, where she landed at 2.30 in the morning, April 15, 1912, after her long fall from the world above"

Wade chuckled and covered his mouth with his hand.

"Still the high school poet at heart, eh boss?"

Josh grinned back and motioned for him to be quiet. Outside, Mir 2 drives aft down the starboard side, while Mir 1 continues on over the seemingly never-ending forecastle deck.

"This is dive number six" Josh continued. "Here we are again on the deck of the titanic. Two and a half miles below the surface. The pressure outside is three and a half tons per square inch" His fingers rapped lightly on the porthole glass. "These windows are nine inches thick and if they go, it's sayonara in two microseconds"

The pilot and Wade exchanged a look, but quickly went back to work. A short time later Mir 2 landed on the boat deck, next to the ruins of what were once the Officer's Quarters. Mir 1 landed nearby.

"Ok lets get to work." said Josh.

Wade grinned and cracked his knuckles, slipping a pair of sophisticated 3-D goggles over his eyes and pulling a complex control mechanism into his lap, a joystick and numerous labelled buttons.

"Launching Rufus now!"

A small bright red robotic drone detached from the craft, attached by a strong cable that steadily played out like a long umbilical cord. Mounted at its front, twin digital-video cameras swivel back and forth like eyes. The drone descended through the open shaft into what was once the opulent First Class Grand Staircase. Rufus sank down several decks before moving into the First Class Reception Room. Viewed through several monitors, Rufus's cameras display the cavernous interior of the room. The rotten remains of the ornate woodwork become visible through the drone's floodlights. A chandelier, still hanging from the ceiling by its wire glitters faintly as Rufus moved around it. The floodlights pass along the floor, revealing a clutter of discarded items. A champagne bottle, several pieces of White Star Line china, a cracked pair of spectacles, and suddenly, gleaming white, a small white face.

Wade let out a small screech and almost lost control of the drone, only saved by Josh's hand grasping his and steadying the controls.

"Amp down buddy" He said calmly, though with a hint of amusement.

Wade gulped and stared more intently at the site before him. What he had took for a face was in fact no more than the porcelain head of a child's doll. Chuckling sheepishly he urged the drone onwards and the eerie face disappeared from view. Continuing down a corridor, the craft turned and slipped through an open doorway into room B-52, their target destination for the day. It was the sitting room of a "promenade suite", making it one of the most luxurious staterooms on the whole ship. Glinting in the lights were the brass fixtures of an almost perfectly preserved fireplace. A small crab scuttled over it. Rufus crossed the ruined room towards another door, barely wide enough to allow the drone space to pass through it.

"Ok head into the bedroom" Josh urged, a slight tremor in his voice. "Stay off the floor, we don't wanna kick up too much debris"

"I got it boss" Wade assured.

The drone pushed its way into the bedroom, its lights falling on the shattered remains of a canopy bed. Virtually every piece of furniture in the room had been broken, almost beyond recognition. Josh's eyes focused on the bed.

"That's Lipsky's bed. That's where the old S.O.B slept!"

Through a partially collapsed wall, a bathroom could be seen. The porcelain bathtub looks almost brand new, seemingly undamaged. Wade let out a small laugh.

"I think someone left the water running"

Josh ignored the pun and focused on the large remains of a wardrobe, its collapsed frame obscuring part of the room from their view.

"Move that wardrobe door out of the way" he said sharply. "I got a feeling in my gut"

Wade said nothing in return, but hit a control, causing the drone to deploy two robotic arms. Grasping two hand panels, he began to swivel them, the drone's arms matching his movements. Urging the drove forward he gripped the wardrobe door that was lying at an odd angle, and pulled upwards. The door moved reluctantly, kicking up a small cloud of silt.

"Keep going! Force it over!"

The door finally gives up the fight and pitched over, falling away to the side. As the silt clears, a dark object slowly comes into view. Josh's eyes light up in sheer delight as he realised what it is. A safe.

"Oh baby!" exclaimed Wade in delight. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

A wide grin forms on Josh's face, looking for all the world like the man who just found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

"Its payday boys!"

* * *

The Safe, still dripping wet in the blazing afternoon sun, was slowly lowered onto the deck of a ship by a winch cable. The ship was the Russian research Vessel, the Keldysh. A large cheering crowd has gathered on deck, including most of the ships crew, the entire sub crew and a documentary video crew that was hired by Josh Mankey to cover the defining moment of his career. Josh, having just exited from his sub craft, bounded over to where the safe was being unloaded, an excited Wade running behind him and jumping onto his back.

"Who's the best? Who's the best? Tell me!"

Josh grinned. "You are Wade"

Wade whooped with Joy and planted a cheeky kiss on Josh's cheek as a technician began cutting into the safe hinges with a saw. Behind Josh, someone popped open a bottle of champagne and began spraying it around. The saw, halted only a moment by the spray, finished its job and the technician moved aside, letting another loop a hook around the safe door. With a heave several men pulled on the metal chain attached to the hook, easily pulling the door away from its hinges. A deluge of brown water issued forth, revealing a filthy interior caked in mud. Josh leapt forward, kneeling down and feeling through the interiors. His hand entered and left several times, discarding wads of ruined money and handfuls of mud. He pulled out a well-preserved folder of some sort and hastily discarded it. His hand probed desperately through the remaining compartments and came away empty. The sound of murmuring filled the air as Josh's face fell.

The technician who had cut away the hinges spoke up with a heavy Russian accent.

"No diamond?"

Josh remained silent, unable to think of anything to say. Wade, feeling the need to lighten the suddenly heavy atmosphere, ventured to speak.

"You know boss, the same thing happened to Geraldo and his career was never the same again."

Viewed through the documentary crews camera, Josh rose heavily to his feet and turned towards the offending item with a glare. His hand quickly covered the lens.

"Turn that damn camera off!"

* * *

In one of the ships many research labs several specialists were busily removing papers from the safe and placing them into shallow trays of water where they could be separated out and cleaned without risk of further damage. Nearby, others were sorting through other artefacts gathered from the stateroom and preparing them for preservation. Josh stood off to one side, trying and failing to not look too dejected by this most recent failure. His train of thought was interrupted when Wade walked into the room, talking into a satellite phone that was balanced against his ear. Seeing Josh, he took the phone and covered the mouthpiece.

"Josh? The partners would very much like to know how things are going"

Josh sighed internally and took the phone, trying to force a tone of cheerful optimism into his voice as he spoke.

"Dave? Barry? Listen it wasn't in the safe after all" He paused and listened to the voice on the other end "No! Listen, don't worry! There's still a number of other places we still have to look" Another tiny pause. "Hell yes! It could be among the floor debris in the bedroom, in the mothers room, the purser's safe on C deck.."

"Jimmy Hoffa's briefcase?" said Wade in a low tone.

Josh mock glared at him, but his rebuke was silenced as his eyes were drawn to where one of the techs were working. The white coated young man had just carefully washed away the lair of dirt covering a sheet of paper, revealing a pencil drawing of a young woman.

"Hang on a minute guys" Josh said, hitting the mute button and walking over the table, his eyes fixed intently on the drawing. It was in remarkably good condition, only the edges of the sheet showing some signs of deteriation. The woman in the drawing was beautiful, looking to be in her late teens or very early twenties. She was nude, although posed in manner that seemed to convey a sense of casual modesty. She was laying across an Empire divan, her hands draped comfertably near her head, long hair flowing down to below her shoulders. In the lower right corner of the sheet, the date April 14 1912 was written in a slighty messy script, along with the initials RS. Josh felt his mouth go dry as he stared at the picture. The defining feature of the picture, in his eyes at least, was the diamond necklace draped around the womans neck, a large dark stone hanging from its centre. Snatching up one of the reference photo's from the lab table, his eyes quickly scanned back and forth. The photo was a black and white shot of a diamond necklace, draped across a jewelers display stand. Hanging from it was a large exquisitly cut gemstone cut into the shape of heart. There was absolutely no doubt in Josh's mind. The necklace in the drawing and the one in the photo were one and the same.

"Well I'll be god damned!"

* * *

In a comfortable and well furnished home in California, a young blonde haired woman was busying herself with some household chores, a small Pomeranian yipping and running around her feet.

"Its alright" she admonished the dog. "I'll feed you in a minute"

On a small portable television a live report was coming through from the research ship Keldysh, intercut with shots of an anchorwoman at the CNN studio.

"Former acclaimed writer and self styled treasure hunter, Josh Mankey is best known for finding Spanish gold in several sunken galleons in the Caribbean" came the announcers voice from the TV. "Now he is leading an expedition to the most famous shipwreck of all, the Titanic"

The woman paid little heed to the television, almost tuning it out entirely as the woman carried on the interview. In an adjoining glassed-in studio however, someone had taken notice, her ears perking up at the mention of the doomed liner. The woman was incredibly old, wrinkled hands working at a potter's wheel and deftly manipulating the red clay into the form of a pot. Long silver hair spilled over a body that was shapeless and shrunken with age, but that could still move with remarkable strength and grace for one so old.

"Your expedition is currently at the centre of controversy" said the anchorwoman. "There are those who have accused you of grave robbing"

The old woman's clear green eyes rose towards the screen at this comment and she raised herself to her feet, supporting her weight with a walking stick and moving quickly into the living room.

"Well nobody ever called the recovery of the artefacts from Kings Tuts tomb an act of grave robbing…." the mans voice was saying in a mildly defensive tone.

The blonde haired woman noticed the older woman approaching and wrinkled her forehead in concern.

"What's wrong?"

"Turn that up for me dear" urged the older woman

The younger woman blinked, but quickly turned and raised the volume on the small television. The man was still talking.

"And we are taking the utmost care to ensure that these relics are being preserved and catalogued properly. For example, take a look at this drawing that was recently recovered"

The image on the screen swivelled from Josh's face down to a tray of water, where a hand drawn picture of a young naked woman was resting.

"A piece of paper that's been underwater for more than eighty years, but my team was able to recover it and preserve it intact. Should this have really been left to rot at the bottom of the ocean?"

The old woman's eyes, still as clear and bright as they had been in her youth, widened in shock as she took in the sight of the picture, the heart shaped gemstone seeming even more prominent than any other part of the drawing. She drew in a shaky breath.

"Well I'll be god dammed!"

* * *

Late evening aboard the Keldysh, the Mir subs were being prepared for yet another launch. Mir 2 was already floating nearby and Josh was preparing to climb aboard Mir 1 when Bobby Buell, the ships communications officer ran up and grabbed his arm.

"There's a satellite call for you!"

Josh frowned and motioned towards the submersible craft. "Bobby, we're launching. I don't have time to take any calls right now. Take a message for me"

Bobby shook his head frantically. "No trust me on this one. You _want_ to take this call!"

Josh sighed and took the phone from the man, hitting the blinking indicator and holding it up to his ear.

"This is Josh Mankey. What can I do for you Mrs…?" He gave a questioning look to the man beside him.

"Kim Calvert" offered Bobby.

"Mrs Calvert" finished Josh.

Sitting in the kitchen of her home, filled with various pottery, knick knacks and souveniers of someone who's' lived a long and full life, Kim Calvert held the phone to her ear, a small smile playing across her lips as she watched her granddaughter sitting opposite her.

"I was just wondering if you had found the Heart of the Ocean yet Mr Mankey" she said, her tone light and bemused.

Josh's eyes went wide and he almost dropped the phone as he whirled around to stare at the man beside him.

"Told you so, didn't I?" said Bobby

Josh cleared his throat and forced himself to calm down. He was a professional and he was determined to act like it.

"All right Mrs Calvert, you have my attention" he said briskly. "Do you know who the woman in the picture is?"

"Oh yes" said Kim, letting out a small laugh. "The woman in the picture is me"

* * *

A large helicopter thundered its way across the ocean, closing in on the research ship in the near distance. Sitting calmly at one of the windows, Kim and her granddaughter stared out at the calm seas below them, the small dog nestled in the old woman's lap.

Aboard the Keldysh, Josh was making his way towards the ship landing pad, an irate Wade stalking behind him.

"She's a liar!" Wade exclaimed in annoyance. "Some cook looking for money or publicity. Its like the Anastasia thing all over again!"

"Their inbound!" came the voice of one of the nearby crewmen, pointing towards the approaching helicopter. Josh nodded and continued along the deck, weaving between stacks of equipment and machinery.

"Kimberly Anne Possible died on the Titanic at the age of seventeen" insisted Wade. "If she had survived she would be over one hundred years old by now!"

"A hundred and one next month" said Josh matter of factly.

Wade threw his hands up in frustration. "So she's a very old liar! I did some research on her. Managed to trace her all he way back to the twenties when she worked in some crime fighting team. Her name was Kim Stoppable back then. Then she married some guy named Calvert, moved out to Cedar Rapids and popped out a couple of kids. Her husband died about ten years ago and she's been living with her granddaughter ever since"

Josh stopped abruptly at the edge of the helipad, looking back over his shoulder.

"And everyone who knows about the diamond is supposed to be dead or here on this boat" he said loudly over the sound of the choppers engines. "But she knows! And I wanna know what she knows!"

The helicopter came in smoothly and touched down onto the pad, its engines quickly dying down. Wade and Josh watched in bemused wonder as a large amount of luggage was unpacked, followed by the blonde haired woman and Kim, sitting in a wheelchair with her dog held tightly on her lap.

"Doesn't exactly believe in travelling light, does she?" quipped Wade.

A short while later, after the introductions had been put out of the way and their guests had been shown to their staterooms, Josh decided it was time to get the matter over with. Taking Wade in tow he made his way along to their room, knocking softly on the door and letting himself in. He found the old woman arranging a series of framed photographs on the sitting table beside her bed. They depicted several family scenes, obviously her and her husband, as well as shots of her children and grandchildren.

"Is your stateroom alright?" Josh asked politely.

"Oh yes" said Kim with a smile. "Very nice thank you. Have you met my granddaughter Tara? She takes care of me"

The blonde woman smiled patiently and glanced between them. "We met, just a little while ago, up on deck. Remember nana?"

Kim gave a small shrug and made a waving gesture towards her head, suggesting that she in fact did not remember at all. Wade glanced at Josh and rolled his eyes. The woman had failed to recall a meeting after less than an hour, but was supposed to remember details of events that took place over half a century ago? Josh remained silent as he watched Kim finish arranging her pictures, her thumb caressing over the face in the one nearest her.

"There now, that's nice" she said happily. "I have to have my pictures with me when I travel"

Josh gave his own patient smile. "Is there anything you need or would like?"

Kim thought about it a moment and then nodded her head. "Yes actually. I would like to see my drawing"

* * *

Kim found herself looking down into the tray of water, her eyes taking in a sight that they had not seen for over 84 years. She stares at it for several long moments and then closes her eyes tight, a memory flashing into her minds eye. A masculine hand holding an artists pencil, the pencil working swiftly across a sheet of paper where the image of a woman is slowly taking shape. The image is swiftly replaced with another. A pair of hazel eyes staring at her, soft yet piercing with their gaze, a frame of blonde curls partially obscuring them. The sound of Josh's voice brings her back to the present and her eyes open reluctantly.

"Louie the Sixteenth wore a fabulous stone called the Blue Diamond the Crown, which disappeared in 1792, which was the same time old Louie lost everything from the neck up" said Josh. "The popular theory goes that the crown diamond was chopped as well, being recut into a heart-like shape" He held up the reference picture he had looked at earlier for his guests to see. "It was known as the Heart of the Ocean. If it were found today it would be worth more than the Hope Diamond"

Kim laughed lightly and regarded the picture again. "It was a dreadful heavy thing. I only ever wore it this one time"

Tara leaned over her shoulder and studied the picture as well. "Do you really think this is you nana?"

Kim smirked. "It certainly is me dear!" Her smirk deepened. "Wasn't I a dish?"

They shared a laugh as Josh pulled out several legal looking documents and placed them down on the table.

"We tracked it down through insurance records. An old claim that was settled under terms of absolute secrecy. Can you tell me who made the claim Kim?"

Kim tapped a finger against her chin and took a moment to act as though she were pondering the question.

"I imagine that would have been someone named Lipsky?"

Josh grinned in triumph and stared up at Wade, who had the decency to look amazed and slightly embarrassed for calling the woman a liar without hearing her story first.

"Nathan Lipsky, that's right. A Pittsburgh steel tycoon, with numerous criminal and underworld connections that didn't come out till after his death. He bought the diamond for his son Drew to give to his fiancé" He paused and nodded his head towards Kim, who nodded back. "The claim was filed right after the ship sank. Which means that the diamond must have gone down with the ship"

Kim's eyes suddenly narrowed slightly and her face took on a slightly shrewd expression, but she was forestalled by speaking by Josh, who was pointing at the picture.

"See the date?"

Tara leaned closer and squinted to better make out the slightly smudged ink. "April 14th, 1912?"

Which means that if your grandmother is who she claims to be" piped up Wade. "It means she was wearing the diamond the night that Titanic sank."

"And that" grinned Josh. "Would make you my new best friend."

A few minutes later the group were looking over a collection of items that had been recovered from Miss Possible's stateroom. Many pieces of jewellery and other adornments litter the table. Kim's eyes fall on an old silver hand mirror, slightly tarnished but otherwise intact. Her hand slowly lifts it, her free hand caressing over the smooth back.

"This was mine. It looks almost exactly the same as when I last saw it" she said, her voice soft in wonderment. Slowly the mirror revolved, revealing the glass to be cracked in several places. Her eyes take in her reflection, her ancient and wrinkled face not matching the memory she had of looking at this same mirror so many years before. "The reflection has changed a bit" she said briefly.

Placing the mirror aside, she carefully picks up a delicate hair comb, the handle crafted into the style of a jade butterfly. She turns it slowly over in her hands; her eyes welling up with unshed tears as a wash of memories come rushing back to her. Josh's hand comes to rest on her shoulder in an attempt to be comforting.

"Are you ready to go back to Titanic?"

* * *

On a computer monitor, a virtual simulation of the Titanic comes into view, cruising directly into the path of a huge iceberg. The action plays out as Wade provides a running commentary.

"The ship hits the berg on the starboard side and it sort of bumps along, punching holes in the hull kind of like Morse code" He makes stabbing motions with his fingers. "Dit dit dit! Along the side and below the water line"

As he speaks, the simulation shows the ship filling up with water, the water rising to the same level each time before spilling into the next compartment.

"The forward compartments flood quickly. Now unfortunately the watertight bulkheads don't go any higher than E deck, so as the water rises it spills into the next compartment along, in sequence. Now as the bow sinks, the stern rises up. Slowly at first, but getting faster and faster. Until finally she's got her entire stern in the air, maybe twenty or thirty thousand tons. Now the hull wasn't designed to deal with that kind of pressure. So what happens? She splits!"

As though obliging him, the simulated Titanic suddenly splits down the middle.

"Now as the bow sinks it pulls the stern back level, then pulls it vertical and finally detaches" The bow section disappears completely beneath the water line and the stern section now hangs suspended in the water. "The stern bobs around like a cork for a minute or so, then floods and finally sinks at 2.20am, two hours and forty minutes after the collision took place"

The simulation now follows the bow section as it drops through the ocean, pieces of it tearing away as it drops.

"The bow section sinks rapidly, landing around half a mile away, going at around twenty to thirty knots when it hits the ocean floor" He grinned at the simulation he had made himself and looked at Kim. "Pretty cool stuff eh?"

Kim, who had sat through the entire simulation with an entirely emotionless expression, regarded the young man with a slightly cold gaze.

"Thank you for that fine…forensic analysis Mr Load. Of course the experience of it was…. somewhat different."

Wade looked slightly abashed but said nothing in reply, for there was certainly no argument for that statement.

"Will you share it with us?" Josh asked softly.

Kim rose slowly to her feet, slowly turning to regard the numerous monitors set up, each one playing back footage taken from previous dives. Her eyes glanced at one showing a shadowy corridor before turning to look at another showing a desiccated ornate doorway. Her eyes grew cloudy with tears and she gasps as another memory flashes unbidden through her mind. The same doorway, shining new and intact as two uniformed men bow there heads and pull open the door. In an instant the vision is gone again and Kim lets out a pained whimper, her hands covering her eyes. In an instant Tara was by her side, gently holding her by the arm.

"I'm taking her to rest" she said.

"NO!"

Kim's voice was remarkably strong and sharp for a woman of such advanced age. Tara sighed softly, but immediately relented. Although she had rarely heard her grandmother use that tone of voice, it was one she knew to mean there would be no argument brooked on the subject. As Kim retook her seat Josh quickly pulled out a tape recorder, turning it on and sitting it on the table beside him.

"Tell us Kim" he urged.

Kim sighed and closed her eyes.

"It's been 84 years…"

"It's ok" Josh said. "Just try to remember anything at all"

Kim opened her eyes and shot him a look that was a mixture of amusement and annoyance, like a grandmother admonishing a small child who had interrupted a bedtime story.

"Do you want to hear this story or not Mr Mankey?"

Wade laughed into his hands and Josh grinned in embarrassment, motioning with his hand for her to continue. With her eyes open this time, she began again.

"It's been 84 years. And I can still smell the fresh paint. The china had never been used. The sheets had never been slept in" Her eyes seemed to focus inwards, disappearing into a world of long forgotten memories. "Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams. And it was. It really was…"


	2. Chapter 2

_Old Kim is narrating lines of text that are in italics._

It is a calm sunny day at Southampton docks. The date is April 10th, 1912. Hundreds of people cover every square inch of the pier, looking like ants next to the majesty of the great steamer as they jostle with each other to board or wait patiently to see off their loved ones. Various horse drawn carriages and automobiles of varying types work their way through the crowds, bearing last minute arrivals of both passengers and provisions. One such car is a white gleaming Renault, its horn honking repeatedly as it parts the crowd before it like a wave. The car soon comes to stop at the edge of the pier and the uniformed driver quickly rushes to open the door for the passengers to exit. First out is a beautiful young seventeen old woman, dressed in an elegant white and purple travelling suit, her long luxurious red hair running down past her shoulders. Her piercing green eyes take in the scene before her, a regal and almost bored expression playing across her face. It is of course the young Kimberly Ann Possible. Exiting from the other side is Drew Lipsky, Kim's fiancé. A tall middle-aged man with pale skin, the lightest hint of blue coating it. Cold blue eyes also scan the scene before him, a gloved hand running through his jet-black hair. The man would almost be considered handsome if not for the unfortunate scar line running along and just below his left eye. Kim, although secretly rather impressed with the grand scale of the ship before her, was never one to allow her fiancé the slightest victory. She turned and glanced back at him.

"I really don't see what the commotion is about" she said loftily. "It doesn't look any bigger than the Mauretania."

Drew clamped his mouth shut and fought down the urge to berate the young woman for her blasé attitude. Over the years he had worked hard to control his temper and appear every bit the calm and sophisticated gentlemen he was meant to be. Sucking in a quick breath he affected a genial smile.

"Really now Kimberly Anne, there's no comparison between the two. Titanic is over a hundred feet longer than the Mauretania, and far more luxurious"

Muttering something about obstinate teenagers he quickly turned and opened the door of a second Renault that had just pulled up along with a staff car and luggage van and offered his hand to the woman exiting it.

"Really Ruth" he said as he helped her out. "Your daughter is far too difficult to impress"

Ruth Possible, the forty something matriarch of the Possible family laughed good-naturedly as her future son in law helped her from the car. She is in many ways an older carbon copy of her daughter, similar red hair and piercing green eyes, although her hair is shorter in length and starting to grey a little. Now widowed, her former easy going attitude had hardened and grown far more serious. She regards the Titanic with an appraising eye.

"So this is the ship that they say is unsinkable?"

Drew, being a keen scientist in his leisure time, laughed and rubbed his hands together.

"It most certainly is! A true marvel of science and engineering. God himself could not find a way to sink this ship!"

Before they can move towards the ship a harassed looking White Star porter rushes towards them, looking slightly overtaxed by all the last minute loading of cargo that is going on.

"Sir?" he asks in a breathless voice, addressing Drew. "You have to check your baggage through the main terminal. Its round that way sir…"

Drew grumbled and pulled out a crisp white five pound note, slapping it into the shocked porters hand. For the period, this would have been considered an extravagant tip.

"I'll leave that in your capable hands. See my…assistant about it"

Before the man could utter a reply a strong female hand gripped his arm and turned him away. The hand belonged to a tall pale woman, green eyed with long black hair pulled into a neat ponytail. Miss Sheila Go, dressed in a strangely masculine looking green and black outfit, pulled the startled man away from her employer and back towards the cars, dodging Kim and Ruth's personal maids as she went.

"Right then, listen up cause I'm not repeating this" she said in a no nonsense tone. "All the trunks in both cars, plus the twelve in the van and the safe, to rooms…" she glanced down at the sheet in her hand. "B52, 54 and 56!"

Gulping and paling slightly as the woman's hard tone the man nodded and scurried off. Meanwhile Drew glanced at his pocket watch, announced that they had better hurry and led the way towards the First Class gangway, Kim and Ruth following close behind, the hand luggage laden maids taking up the rear along with the smug looking Miss Go. They passed by a steerage passenger line, made up of simply dressed peasants and immigrants, bunched together like cattle and going through the process of a health inspection, being checked for things such as lice before being allowed aboard the ship. Immune from this type of scrutiny the Possible party make their way up the boarding bridge leading into D deck. Her face an unreadable mask, Kimberly Anne Possible approaches the hatchway, barely managing to suppress the dread she was feeling.

_It was the Ship of Dreams, or at least it was to everyone else. In my eyes it was a slave ship, carrying me back to America in chains._

The ships horns let out a mighty bellow as Drew possessively took Kim by the arm and drew her through the hatch and into the ship.

_Outwardly I was everything a young well brought up girl was expected to be. Inside however, I was screaming._

* * *

Even from several blocks away, as viewed from the dirty window of a grubby Dockers pub, the Titanic still towered over everything like a miniature skyscraper. The sound of the ships horns echoed in the wind. Inside, the pub is full of dockworkers and crewmen from ships of various nationalities. Near the bar, sitting at a grubby looking table, four young men in clean but obviously peasant clothes sit hunched over their cards. A serious and rather heated game of poker is taking place. Two of the men, Ron Stoppable and Felix Renton, fresh faced eighteen year olds, who's creased clothing looked like they had been slept in regularly, glanced at each other while the other two men argued quietly with each other in Swedish, one of them gesticulating wildly at the third class tickets for the Titanic which his partner had just staked in order to stay in the game. Ron and Felix were both Americans, having known each other for several years and travelled together, even after a drunken driver had ploughed into Felix with his car, confining the young man to a wheelchair. Felix had falling into a state of despondency and naturally assumed that, times being hard, Ron would simply up and abandon him. But Ron had shown his true colours, loyally sticking by his friend and helping with his emotional recovery. Ron had a talent for both cooking and art, and had used both professions to support himself over the years, having been self sufficient from an early age following the death of his parents. 

"I can't believe you bet the last of our money on this!" Felix complained in a low tone.

"Hey" said Ron, stubbing out a cheap cigarette on the table. "When you got nothing to start with, you got nothing to lose. Worst that happens is we sleep outside tonight and I look for a job in the morning"

The game continued, both Ron and one of the Swedes taking a card. The point in the game to call had arrived.

"Alright" said Ron, his eyes revealing nothing about the cards in his hands. "It's the moment of truth" His eyes turned towards Felix. "What you got Felix?"

Felix sighed and slapped his cards down onto the table, revealing a very weak hand.

"No joy there" said Ron lightly. He turned to their opponents. "Sven?"

The man who had complained bitterly about their tickets being bet put down an equally dismal hand with a grumble. Without waiting to be asked, his partner grinned and slapped his own hand down. Ron's eyes fell in dismay at what he saw.

"Two pair?" he moaned. "Good hand" He put his own hand down and regarded Felix with what he hoped was an appropriate hurt doggy expression. "Sorry Felix"

The two Swedes whooped with joy and almost reached for the stack of coins in the middle of the table when they saw what Ron's hand actually was. Sven growled in frustration and grabbed Ron by the collar, pulling him close, yelling in broken English.

"You idiota! You have a full house!"

Ron blinked and looked down at the cards. "Does that mean I win?" He looked up and saw Sven's hand was forming into a fist. Closing one eye and cringing back he waited for the hammer blow to fall, but a moment later Sven whirled around and slammed his fist into his partners face, knocking the man down and out. The bar erupted into laughter and Ron and Felix quickly scooped their winnings into one of their hats, Felix holding the tickets in his hands like precious gems.

"I can't believe we won! We're going back to America!"

Ron whooped and jumped up and down, grabbing the tickets and dancing with joy.

"We're going home at last! Back to the land of the free! Home of the brave! We're going to America!! Woo!!"

"No mate" came the amused tone of the bartender, jolting Ron and Felix out of their revelry. "Titanic goes to America" He pointed his thumb at a clock beside him, showing 11.55am. "In 5 minutes!"

Ron and Felix looked at each other, their eyes becoming like saucers. Moments later the pair were barrelling along the pier towards the ship, Ron pushing Felix's wheelchair and manoeuvring between the jostling crowds like a man possessed. All of their meagre possessions were bundled together in a single kit bag that was clutched in Felix's white knuckled hands.

"Ron! Slow down!" Felix wailed.

"No can do buddy of mine!" shouted Ron, barely avoiding a collision with a parked van as the third class gangway came into view. "Our destiny awaits, and its about to leave without us!"

Screeching to a halt and running along the gangway, they stopped in front of the startled officer who was about to release the straps holding it against the ship. Ron quickly waved the tickets in the man's face.

"Wait! Let us on! We're passengers! He said breathlessly.

The junior officer took the tickets and stared dubiously at the foreign sounding names, and at the two obviously American men standing in front of him.

"Right" he said cautiously. "Have you both been through the inspection queue?"

Ron grinned widely and nodded rapidly.

"Of course we have. Both of us. Yup! No lice here!"

The officer narrowed his eyes slightly, but shrugged and simply waved them aboard. The moment Ron had pushed Felix through the doorway the officer slammed the door closed behind them, sealing it. The two young men cheered with triumph and took off down the busy third class corridor.

"I told you our luck was gonna change!" whooped Ron as they rounded a corner and disappeared.

A very short time later, as the ships mooring lines were being cast off, Ron pushed Felix's chair up onto the poop deck, running over to the crowded railing and finding an empty spot. Ron immediately clung to the rail and began waving enthusiastically at the crowd below, yelling goodbye. Felix eyed him incredulously.

"Ron what are you doing? We don't know anyone here"

Ron grinned and shrugged his shoulders, continuing to wave. "So? Everyone else is doing it!"

Felix chuckled as he regarded his friend. Ron was known for his "Never be normal" attitude to life, one that admittedly had served him well over the years. Shrugging his shoulders Felix leaned forward and waved both hands.

"Goodbye!" he yelled. "I'll always remember you! Don't forget to write!"

As the passengers and crowd below continue to wave at each other, the ship angled away from the dock and slowly began to turn. The twin propeller shafts came to life with a loud cranking sound and quickly build up into a blurring speed. Led by several small tugs the Titanic slowly began to make its way towards the English Channel.

* * *

Ron and Felix make their way through a narrow corridor, a multitude of confused and lost people moving through the maze like structure, several arguing with each other or puzzling over signs with translation manuals in hand. Finding the correct door Ron led them inside, finding a modest but spotlessly clean cubicle, four bunk beds and a washbasin making up the only furniture. Seeing two Swedish men taking up one half of the room and regarding him with confused expressions, Ron quickly moved over to the other set of bunk beds, helping Felix into the bottom one before turning to regard his new roommates. 

"Ron Stoppable! Pleased to meet you!" he said, clasping one by the hand and then the other.

Jumping into the top bunk he leaned over and began bantering jovially with Felix as the two Swedish immigrants looked at each other in puzzlement.

"_What happened to Sven?"_ asked one in Swedish.

* * *

Compared with the Third Class accommodations, stepping into the First Class suites was like stepping into another world. The Possible's suite comprised of two bedrooms, a bath and WC, a wardrobe room and a large spacious sitting room. It even came complete with its own private promenade deck where Drew was standing, admiring the view with a champagne flute and a bottle of the expensive beverage in hand. Carrying the bottle into the sitting room he began to pour out several glasses, watching Kim and her maid, who were busily setting out several paintings, Kim holding up an abstract portrait of several people, trying to find a good spot to place it. 

"I can't believe you had me waste money on those ridiculous things" Drew groused. "I can't imagine why you enjoy looking at them"

Kim didn't bother turning round as she chose a spot that gave off the best light and placed the portrait down, graciously accepting the glass of champagne that her maid offered her.

"The difference between your taste in art and mine is that I have some" she said loftily. "I think there fascinating."

"What's the artists name miss?" the maid asked quietly, knowing from experience that she could ask without being scorned by Miss Possible.

"Picasso" said Kim.

Drew snorted loudly and sipped his champagne. "Picasso? Another worthless dreamer. People like that never amount to much of anything, trust me on that" He smirked. "At least they didn't cost me much."

Miss Go entered the room, followed by a porter wheeling a heavy safe into the room on a hand truck.

"Come on you" she said impatiently. "Into the wardrobe with it."

Drew watched the man disappear through an adjoining door and drained his glass as his assistant gave him a conspiratorial smirk and followed in the porters wake.

* * *

At sunset the Titanic sat off the harbour of Cherbourg, France, a smaller 150-foot passenger liner sitting alongside her and looking rather tiny by comparison. 

_At Cherbourg the ship took on additional passengers. Among them was an African American woman named Monique Brown, although to her close friends she preferred to be known by the pet name "Nique". History would come to know her as the Unsinkable Monique Brown._

In the bustling First Class reception room, a large, but well toned woman in her late forties easily manipulated her way through the crowd, hefting two large suitcases with apparent ease. Although she was dressed in the same elegant finery as the other First Class passengers, her relaxed manner and lack of imposed refinement marked her as someone who was not long used to this lifestyle. A porter hurried up behind her as she dumped the luggage, regarding the young man with a smirk.

"I couldn't hang around all day waiting for you boy" she said casually, nodding towards her bags. "Think you can manage with these the rest of the way, or do I need to do it for you?"

The porter nodded rapidly and quickly snatched up the luggage, leading her towards the elevators. As they were about enter one Kim and Ruth Possible exited, Monique and Ruth exchanging polite smiles before they passed by each other. Once her back was safely to the dark skinned woman Ruth frowned slightly and muttered something to her daughter, who neglected to reply.

_Her husband had made his fortune by striking gold someplace out West, and she what my mother referred to as "new money"._

_By the afternoon of the following day the ship had made its final stop in Ireland and we were heading west, with nothing out ahead of us but ocean…_

The Titanic steamed its way across the calm sea, the ship glowing in the light of the late afternoon sun. Just outside the bridge, First Officer William Du stood with his hands on the railings and his eagle eyes scanned the decks below him for any signs of trouble. As the self styled number one officer in the fleet, he had high ambitions of commanding his own ship before long, and he was ever on the lookout for anything that might reflect badly on him in the eyes of the White Star Line board of directors. Another figure stepped up beside him, a well-seasoned woman wearing the crisp uniform of a ships captain. Captain Betty Director, one of the few female officers serving aboard a ship of this stature, and the only one to reach anywhere near the rank of captain, adjusted the eye patch covering her right eye and grinned as she stood beside him, looking every bit the picture of a ships captain, regardless of her gender.

"Take her to sea Mr Du" she said happily. "Lets stretch her legs!"

First Officer Du saluted sharply and strode into the enclosed bridge house, grabbing the telegraph lever and pulling it around to the "All Ahead Full" position with several clanking motions. Far below them in the engine room, Chief Engineer "Motor" Edwards turned around as the telegraph machine for the engine clanked and changed to "All Ahead Full" Running a hand through his dirty blonde mullet hairstyle he turned and bellowed out as he turned the telegraph to the correct setting.

"All ahead full, seriously!"

The engine room was a beehive of activity, numerous engineers running along walkways and platforms, monitoring or adjusting valves. Taking up a huge portion of the huge chamber were the twin reciprocating engines, each one a towering four stories tall with ten foot long connecting rods that surged up and down in a powerful steady rhythm. Watching a series of pressure gauges carefully, Chief Engineer Edwards cranked a large wheel around, the gauges showing a steady increase in pressure. Below them, in the humid and soot covered boiler rooms, gangs of filthy stokers work industriously, their well toned muscles rippling as they filled shovels with coal and fed the fires to meet the demand for more speed. In moments the rods were churning round and round at a faster and faster pace, which in turn forced more power into the propellers, the huge screws chopping through the water and churning up a huge column of foam that trailed for miles behind the ship. First Officer Du soon reappeared outside the bridge and returned to the captain's side, who was accepting a cut of tea from Fifth Officer Lowe.

"Twenty one knots sir!" he announced proudly.

At the very bow of the ship, Ron and Felix were gripping the railing and looking over the side at the prow that was now cutting through the surface of the water more rapidly than before, sending up two sparkling sheets of water.

"We're really doing it" Ron said in awe. "We're finally going back home."

"Yeah" teased Felix. "I think I can see the Statue of Liberty from here" He pretended to squint as he leaned forward in his chair. "Very small at this distance of course"

Ron, known for his overly trusting nature, actually peered forward, before realising he was being had and slapping Felix on the chest good naturedly. While he was peering forward however his eyes caught sight of something moving in the water. Before he could question it a dolphin leapt from the water, swimming rapidly and managing to keep pace with the ship. Ron grabbed Felix by the arm and helped support his weight as he leaned forward to watch as well, the first dolphin soon being joined by another, and then another. An entire pod of them. While Felix continued to watch them Ron stepped up to the very edge of the railings and pumped his hands in the air, overcome with a wave of pure joy.

**"BOOYAH!!!!"** he screamed, at the top of his lungs.

Felix couldn't help but laugh at his friends enthusiasm and soon joined in whooping and laughing with joy as Ron let out his signature expression several more times. Ron threw his hands out to his sides and let his head fall back, the wind whipping through his blonde curls and relaxing him as the ship sped onwards towards the Atlantic Ocean.

* * *

At lunchtime the next day, a small group had gathered in the Palm Court Restaurant, one of the nicer locations for the First Class passengers to dine. Sitting at the head of the table is Lord Montgomery Fiske, the Managing Director of the White Star Line. He speaks with an aristocratic English accent, his thin black hair and crisp suit the very picture of upper class perfection. 

"Titanic is the fastest moving object ever built by the hand of man" He motioned towards the man sitting at his right side. "And our master shipbuilder, Mr Barkin, designed every square inch of her"

The indicated man, Steven Barkin, was a tall and slightly imposing figure, his powerful physique and neatly cropped hair belonging to an earlier time in his life when he had served as a Drill Instructor for the army. Although his profession had changed years ealier, he had never quite been able to throw off his old commanding demenour or the Seargent Major tone in his voice.

"Well" he said sharply. "I may have drew up the blueprints, but it was Lord Fiske here who came up with the idea, to give credit where it's due" Lord Fiske nodded politely as he ate. "It was his vision to create a ship so grand and luxurious in design that its supremacy would never be challanged" He slammed his fist onto the table, rattling his plate. "And by thunder here it is! Willed into solid reality!"

The remaining people around the table nodded their heads in appreciaton. Sitting with them was Ruth and Kimberly Anne Possible, Drew Lipsky and Monique Brown. As a waiter arrived to take the groups order for the main course, Kim raised a cigerette holder to her lips, igniting the thin cigerette held at the end. Her mother frowned and leaned in close to whisper in her ear.

"You know I don't like you smoking Kimberly Anne"

Kim narrowed her eyes in return but reluctantly removed the cigerette and snubbed it out savagely on the table, a motion that did not go unnoticed by Monique. At the same moment Drew was talking to the waiter.

"We'll both have the lamb. Rare and with a small amount of mint sauce" As an afterthought, he turned and smiled at Kim. "You like lamb, right Kimmy?"

Kim, who liked the pet name about as much as she liked lamb, which is to say not at all, felt her eye twitch as she fought to remain calm and looked back at him with a tighly fixed smile, her head bobbing in a quick nod. This action also caught Monique's eye and she regarded the young woman's fiance with a sarcastic smirk.

"You planning on cutting up her meat for her too there Drew?"

Drew's own eye twitched this time, as he once again found himself in the position of forcing down the bile in his throat, as well as the urge to tell this jumped up _female _to stay out of his business. The biting comment dancing on his tongue was forstalled as Monique turned and regarded Lord Fiske, trying to find a quick way to change the subject before things got heated.

"I hear tell that you came up with the name for the ship. Is that true Monty?"

Lord Fiske, ever pleased at the prospect of showing off his achievements, gave a small nod of his head and paused from his eating.

"Yes that's very true actually" he said with a pompous air. "I wanted a name that would convey the sheer size of the ship. And of course size means stability, luxury and most important of all…_strength_."

Kim fought hard with herself for a moment but couldn't help herself as her dangerous combination of humour, intelligence and wit came into play.

"Perhaps you would be interested to read the recent paper penned by Mr Freud? His theories on the male preoccupation with size might be of interest to you Lord Fiske"

Monique and Mr Barkin barely suppressed the urge to burst out laughing at this comment and Lord Fiske for his part smiled politely at the joke. Kim's mother on the other hand looked highly scandalised and leaned in threateningly while Drew merely looked bewildered, obviously not understanding the reference.

"What has gotten into you young lady?" her mother demanded in a harsh whisper.

Kim merely sighed quietly and rose to her feet, excusing herself and disappearing from the table. Monique grinned in amusement and again regarded Drew with a bemused expression, ignoring the apology that Kim's mother offered the group.

"My she certainly is a sharp one isn't she?" she joked. "Think you'll be able to handle her?"

Drew fought the urge to glare and pressed his mouth together into a thin-lipped smile.

"Well I'll certainly have to monitor what she's allowed to read from now on, wont I Mrs Brown?"

* * *

Sitting on a bench in the bright mid day sun, Ron sat working at a sketchbook bound in dark leather. Holding an artists pencil in hand, his hand worked on the page with a sure and practised grace. His eyes remain fixed on an immigrant family as he works, his skilled hand soon rendering the scene of a simple peasant couple, holding their young child between them and gazing out over the railings. The drawing is remarkably detailed and very true to life. It is obviously the work of a skilled artist. Felix, who is sitting in his wheelchair beside the bench, is engaged in conversation with Brick Flagg, a young Irish peasant who is discussing the details of the ships construction in Ireland, a feat that his father was involved in along with several other members of his family. Noticing what Ron was doing the burly Irish man leaned over and nodded approval at the picture. 

"Do you make much money with your drawings Stoppable?" he asked, his accent thick.

Ron glanced up and was about to answer when his eyes caught sight of something that almost completely took his breath away. Standing at the railing of the B deck Kim Possible stood and stared out over the ocean. Although distant and slightly troubled, her face is that of an angel, her flowing red hair caught in the mild breeze and flowing behind her, the bright sun shining down upon her. Sensing someone watching her, her eyes gaze down at the lower promenade deck, glancing at Ron and pausing to stare back at him. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Ron locked eyes with the young woman, his cheeks beginning to burn lightly. Seeing this Felix grinned and elbowed Brick, nodding his head towards his friend. Brick snickered and looked between Ron and the woman he was staring at.

"Ah forget it Stoppable" he said lightly. "You'd have more chance of walking on water than getting anywhere near someone as classy as that."

A middle-aged man with pale skin and an ugly scar below one eye joined the woman on deck. The man regarded her silently for a moment and then said something that caught her attention. The woman's eyes instantly hardened as she whipped around, replying heatedly and waving her hands in the air. A moment later she was gone, leaving the man to stew in his own juices for several moments before he stalked off after her.

"Told ya so didn't I?" said Brick. "She's even married. You got no chance now"

Ron blinked in confusion. "How do you know their married?"

Brick smirked and jerked his thumb towards the upper deck.

"That lot are all airs and graces in public. They never act up in public, except on occasion with people they know well. That bloke was too young to be her dad, and too old to be a friend or brother. Definitely her husband."

Ron frowned slightly but remained silent. He wasn't able to put on his finger on exactly why he thought so, but the idea of those two being married seemed completely implausible to him. He sighed and turned back to his sketchbook. Not that he was ever likely to find out the truth about the matter anyway.

* * *

That evening in the First Class dining room, Kim sits at a table with her mother and a number of her influential friends. Although a lively and animated conversation was going on, Kim heard not a word of it, her eyes lowered and staring vacantly into space. Her white-gloved hands twist together painfully under the table, almost drawing blood. 

_I saw my whole life played out before my eyes as though I had already lived it. An endless parade of parties and cotillions, yachts and polo matches. Always the same aristocratic people, the same narrow-minded viewpoints and inane chatter. I felt like I was standing at the edge of a great chasm, with nobody to pull me back. Nobody who cared, or even took notice of my distress._

Kim ran along the B deck promenade at a breakneck speed, heedless of the disgruntled cries of people she knocked aside. Her hair was a dishevelled mess and she tried and failed to stop the tears from flowing freely, two long tear tracks staining her cheeks. Meanwhile, further aft, laying on one of benches was Ron Stoppable, a cigarette held lightly to his lips as his eyes took in the beautifully clear night's sky, cloudless and revealing all the stars in the heavens. His silent reflections were broken by the sounds of heavy footfalls and several feminine sobs. Before Ron could rise up from the bench a young woman streaked past him, heading towards the very aft of the ship. Ron immediately sat up, feeling an immediate sense of dread and concern, and also a fleeting sense of recognition. Kim, having not seen Ron in the dark, ran onwards, soon arriving at the aft bow rail and clinging it to with trembling hands. Her vision was blurry and she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, taking in the sight of the vast expanse of blackness below her. Her mind is a whirl of emotions. A growing sense of hatred grows with her. Hatred for those around her, for the despicable man she was expected to marry, for the glamorous and limited lifestyle she found herself trapped in. And most importantly, hatred for herself for finding no way to escape from this hell. Her eyes stare downwards as her breathing calms, the sobs stopping. The realisation comes to her like a thunderbolt, not a trace of fear crossing her face as she slowly began to climb up onto the railing, moving awkwardly in her high-heeled shoes and long dress. Feeling herself begin to pant slightly, her leg reached over the rail and she pulled herself completely over, lowering her feet onto the railing on the opposite side. Far below her the twin propellers churn loudly, kicking up a constant wash of foam. Turning herself away from the ship, she begins to extend her arms, pushing her body out and away from the ship. Her eyes close and she draws in a deep calming breath, preparing herself.

"Don't do it!"

Her eyes flash open and whip around, her hair billowing in the wind as she struggled to focus on the young blonde haired man standing nearby, eyeing her nervously. A dull sense of recognition penetrates her mind as she recognised him from earlier. Her hands tightened on the rails as he takes a step towards her.

"Stop!" she shouts out, her voice shrill. "Don't come any closer!"

Ron edged slightly nearer, trying to remain calm and at the same time trying to think of something he could say or do to prevent this young woman from killing herself. While a more callous or indifferent person might have walked away or pretended not to see, he never would. He would blame himself for the rest of his life if he didn't prevent this from happening.

"Take my hand" he said calmly, reaching out. "I'll help put you back over"

"I said don't come any closer" Kim barked in response. "I'll let go!"

Ron blinked and thought about this for a moment. If he came closer she would jump? But wasn't that what she was already trying to do? Unless she really didn't wish to commit suicide at all. Perhaps this was merely a cry for help.

"No you wont" he said dismissively.

Kim glared and set her jaw firm. "What do you mean 'no I wont'" she demanded, annoyed now. "Don't presume to tell me what I will or wont do. You don't even know me!"

Ron shrugged his shoulders and continued to hold out his hand, edging slightly closer still.

"If you had intended to jump" he said, trying to rationalize this. "You would have done so the moment I arrived. You wouldn't have let me get a word in, let alone get close enough to try and stop you. Now please, just take my hand"

Kim felt herself becoming flustered, fresh tears blurring her vision. She turned away from him, blinking her eyes repeatedly to clear them.

"You're distracting me! Please go away!"

Ron carefully moved up to the railings, off to one side in order to avoid spooking the young woman into jumping. His hands rested lightly on the rails.

"Can't do that miss" he said with another small shrug. "If you jump in and I don't do anything, it'd be as good as killing you myself. Id have to jump in after you."

Kim's eyed widened in shock at the shear absurdity of this statement.

"Are you mad?" she almost barked. "You'd be killed right along with me"

Ron huffed in indignation and slipped off his jacket, reaching down to loosen the laces on his boots.

"I'll have you know that I'm a very strong swimmer"

Kim frowned and shook her head. This young man clearly wasn't seeing the logic of this situation.

"The fall from this height alone would kill you" she said, not really knowing why she was trying to talk this man out of doing the very thing she was intent on doing herself, but at the same time feeling that it was important that she did. "And besides, at the speed this ships going, we'd be left behind in seconds. Nobody would rescue us"

Ron sighed theatrically and gave an imploring gesture with his hands.

"Well all of that does sound pretty nasty" he admitted. "Although frankly id be more worried about surviving the fall and then freezing to death in the water" He glanced over the side. "This time of year, the water down there'd be barely above freezing. You don't wanna imagine how much that would hurt. Iv been ice fishing miss, I know what I'm talking about here. Even fell through some thin ice once. Water that cold hits you like a thousand fiery needles stabbing all over your body at the same time. So as you can imagine I'm not relishing the idea of jumping into there after you" He gave another sigh. "But like I said before, I don't have much choice in the matter"

Kim almost laughed. Almost. "You're weird" she accused.

Ron gave a lopsided smile. "People have often said so. But begging your pardon, I'm not the one hanging off the back of a ship right now, am I?"

He moved a step closer, his eyes locking with hers and his hand once again reaching out.

"I know you don't want to do this. I have no idea what's drove you to this terrible decision, but there are other solutions" He smiled. "Give me your hand."

Kim's entire world seemed to freeze as she found herself staring back at him, finding herself lost in the soft, most beautiful hazel eyes she had ever seen. She swallowed quietly, a light blush forming on her cheeks. Her voice was very soft as she answered

"Alright"

Slowly she removed one hand from the railing, reaching round to place it in his. His hand grasps over it firmly, almost making her gasp at how strong and yet soft it feels. Turning slowly the two find themselves face to face. Ron smiled in relief and Kim let out several shaky breaths, the adrenaline rush caused by her earlier actions finally wearing off.

"My name's Ron Stoppable" he said.

She tried to smile back, her breath still shaky. "Kimberly Anne Possible"

Grasping her hand tightly, muscles tense in the event she should have a second change of heart, Ron began to ease her back over the railings. But as she placed her foot on the next railing up, her polished shoes slipped on the railing, disappearing off the edge. Overcome by gravity Kim plummeted off the side of the ship, only Ron's grip on her hand preventing her from falling to her certain death. Gripping his hands tightly in hers, she let out a piercing shriek of terror, the noise alerting several nearby crewmen who took off running towards the sound of distress. Ron gripped Kim for dear life, his feet bracing on the railing and lifting her bodily towards him with all his strength. He almost lost his grip once, dropping her several inches before recovering, another piercing scream issuing from Kim and spurning on the approaching sailors to even greater speed. Panting with the exertion Ron finally managed to pull Kim over the rails and the two of them sprawled onto the deck in exhaustion, Ron laying partly on top of her. At this, the worst possible of moments, the crewmen dashed onto the scene. They took one look at the sight, a traumatised and panting young woman in dishevelled clothing, with a similarly dishevelled young man forcing himself into a sitting position beside her, his jacket and boots lying discarded on the deck beside him, and drew the most obvious conclusion.

"GET OFF HER!" one of them exclaimed, as Ron quickly did just that. The man turned angrily and spoke to one of his companions. "Fetch the Master at Arms at once!"

A matter of minutes later, Ron was being roughly handcuffed by the Master at Arms, a furious Drew staring at him with Miss Go standing behind his shoulder, barely concealing her own amusement at the situation. Kim was sitting on the same bench Ron had been laying on earlier, a blanket wrapped protectively round her and a brandy glass being offered to her Colonel Demenz, an aged former scientist who happened to be an associate of Drew. Kim shook her head at the offer and stared at the confrontation that was going on between Ron and Drew.

"What did you think you were doing placing your hands on MY fiancé" he demanded angrily, his hands grabbing Ron's collar when he noticed the young mans eyes were staring intently at Kim. He shook the young man roughly "Look at ME for filthy peasant! How dare you.."

"Drew!" Kim said loudly, placing her hand on his arm. "Stop it at once. The whole thing was an accident"

This drew confused stares from everyone present, Ron included. Drew however paid him no mind, eyeing his fiancé curiously.

"An accident?" he asked, perplexed. "Care to explain how something like THIS happens as an 'accident'?"

Kim was silent for a moment, her mind working furiously.

"Well I was leaning over the railing to see the…" she cast about for a moment as an idea occurred to her. "The…ah… what do you call it? The propeller shaft? And I slipped and fell!" She tried to play the damsel in distress card, hoping it would appease the poor young man's accusers. "And I would have surely fallen overboard, but this kind young man saved me, and almost fell overboard himself in the process"

Drew looked at her as though she had grown a second head. "You wanted to see the propellers?" He turned and regarded the others with a stunned expression. "Can you believe that? Only a woman could be that reckless!"

"Its as I've often said" said Colonel Demenz loftily. "Women and machinery are a terrible combination."

The Master at Arms looked at Ron sceptically. "Is that what happened?"

Ron turned and looked at Kim with a questioning eye, pausing to take note of the desperate, almost pleading look with which she gazed back. With an inaudible sigh he turned back at nodded.

"Yep. That's pretty much what happened."

"Well then!" beamed the Colonel. "The boys a hero! Well-done son! Nicely done indeed!" He turned to Drew. "Well that's settled with. Shall we go back inside?"

Ron remained silent as the handcuffs were removed, watching Drew as he placed a hand on Kim's back, guiding her away from the scene.

"Come along" he said in an effort to be comforting. "You'll catch your death of cold out here"

As he guided her away, they passed the Colonel, who nodded his head towards Ron.

"Perhaps a little something for the lads efforts, don't you think?" he asked quietly.

Drew ground to a halt and glared at his old science rival for half a second, quickly turning back to appraise Ron, who was slipping on his jacket again.

"Well I suppose" he said. "Miss Go? I think a twenty ought to cover it"

The pale woman smirked and shrugged a shoulder in indifference, but turned to attend to it. Kim however, was extremely displeased by this meagre show of gratitude. She knew it was typical for someone like Drew to solve problems by throwing money at it, but she herself wasn't impressed.

"A twenty?" she asked, barely keeping the disgust out of her voice. "Is that the standard rate for saving the woman you _love_?"

Drew frowned and stared back at her. He turned to regard Ron, who was standing where they had left him, hands in his pockets, looking every bit a lower class peasant, barely worth looking at, let alone thanking, at least in Drew's eyes. A devious idea suddenly popped into his mind, one that would not only embarrass the young man, but Kimberly Anne as well. Plastering a fake smile across his face he walked back over to Ron, stopping a few paces away from him.

"Perhaps you would be good enough to join our group for dinner tomorrow evening?" he asked politely. "To…regale our group with the tale of your heroic rescue"

Ron fought the urge to frown. He had known his share of jerks in his lifetime and he knew well when someone was talking down their nose to him. He almost refused outright, not wishing to be in this mans company if he could at all avoid it, but his eyes caught sight of Kim again, looking back at him with the smallest hint of a smile. Inside, his heart melted and he turned back and stared Drew in the eye.

"Sure. Sounds like fun"

Drew smirked, glad he had got the young buffoon to agree, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good. Well….until tomorrow then" He turned and walked back towards the others, his voice a soft whisper as he leaned in and spoke into the Colonels ear. "This ought to be good for a laugh"

Ron watched as the group disappeared up the stairway and into the ship. He was about to leave himself when he noticed that the pale woman was still there, regarding him a predatory smirk as she snapped a silver cigarette case open and closed in her hand repeatedly. There was something about the way she was looking at him that made him feel distinctly uneasy.

"Can I uh…" he asked cautiously. "have a smoke?"

The woman's expression didn't change as she flipped the case open again and held it out. Ron quickly took two of the fancy thin cigarettes, placing one in his mouth and the other behind his ear for later use. He reached into his pocket for a match, but was startled when a bright green flame suddenly lit if from him. He jerked backwards and stared at the woman, who had just shook her hand, apparently to put out the flame. He noticed a complete lack of matches or cigarette lighter in her hand, and wondered how she had managed to produce the flame. Perhaps she had palmed the lighter in the moment it took him to look up?

"You might want to consider tying those" she said with a cruel smirk.

Ron blinked and glanced down, noticing that his bootlaces were still untied. He glanced back up, noting that the woman's smirk had grown even deeper, if such a thing was possible. She seemed almost delighted about something.

"Its interesting isn't it?" she asked with amusement. "That the little Princess slipped so suddenly, and you still had time to remove your jacket and boots" She let out a single laugh that was barely more than a derisive snort, and turned away. "See ya later stud"

Ron was left there feeling stunned and highly confused as the woman stalked away quickly and soon disappeared from sight.

* * *

Kim sat at her vanity table, in the process of undressing for bed when she felt another presence in the room. Looking up, she saw Drew's reflection in the mirror, standing by the doorway and regarding her passively. 

"I know you've been melancholy of late" he said, his voice surprisingly tender and soft, a very rare occurrence for a man such as him. "I can't pretend that I know why."

He walked into the room and stood beside her at the vanity, a black jewellery box emerging from behind his back. Kim eyed in warily.

"I had intended to give you this at the engagement gala next week" he said in explanation, cracking open the box. "But after tonight's little mishap, I thought it might improve your mood."

He opened the box fully, revealing its contents. Inside was a necklace, a long diamond necklace, a huge blue gemstone hanging from its centre, flawlessly cut into the shape of a heart, it glittered in the dim light of the room. Even for Kim, the sight of it was dazzling to say the least.

"My god" she said breathlessly.

Drew laughed lightly and scooped the necklace from the box and opened the clasp, placing it around her neck for her to admire it in the mirror.

"It was once the property of Louie the Sixteenth. Its known as the Le Cour de la Mer, the…"

"Heart of the Ocean" finished Kim, her eyes fixed on the shining blue stone. "Is that really a…?"

"Diamond?" smirked Drew. "Indeed it is. It's a crown jewel befitting royalty. And that's what we are Kimberly Anne" He locked eyes with her reflection. "Don't you like it?"

Kim blinked stupidly for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. The gem was indeed overpowering, flawlessly beautiful and elegant. The price of such a jewel was probably more than she could guess at. But it was also rather heavy, and seemed almost restrictive in a way. And she feared what consenting to a gift such as this would mean. But a lifetime of upper class upbringing and manners washed over her. To refuse to at least show some sign of thanks would be the height of rudeness, wouldn't it?

"It's….overwhelming" she said honestly.

Drew's fingers gently caressed over the back of her neck, his eyes continuing to gaze into her reflected ones. For the first time in their entire courtship he seemed almost completely unguarded, speaking with genuine emotion.

"You know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. Nothing that I couldn't provide for you" His fingers continued to stroke gently at her neck and the curve of her throat, causing Kim to shiver with something that was very nearly pleasure. "There is nothing I would deny you, if you would not deny me" He gently grasped her shoulder and turned her towards him. "Now open your heart to me"

Kim stared back at him, unable to formulate a single word of reply. In all the time she had known Drew Lipsky, she had barely tolerated his presence, his self-righteous, smug, imposing attitude always grating on her nerves. This softer side was one she had never seen in him before, one she never even dreamed that he possessed. And as she turned back to the mirror to regard the necklace again, she briefly wondered if it was one she could cause to grow more prominent if she spent enough time working at it. She didn't love him, that much was certain. But could she learn?


	3. Chapter 3

The following day Ron was again sitting on the third class promenade deck, recounting the events of the night before to Felix and Brick, both of whom were stunned by what they were hearing.

"You'd have been better off with the twenty" Brick joked after hearing about Ron's upcoming invitation to the First Class dining room. "You'd have got more enjoyment out of it than you will with a bunch of upper class snobs turning their noses up at you all through dinner."

Ron was about to reply when he noticed that a sudden hush had fallen over the immediate area. Looking over Brick's shoulder, he spotted Kim walking purposefully towards them, looking completely out of place in her upper class clothing. She glanced from side to side as she walked, obviously self conscious and aware of the stares she was receiving from the passengers around her. Brick and Felix both stood, or sat in Felix's case, in frozen shock, neither of them saying a word as Kim stopped before them, clutching a small purse in her hands.

"Hey Ron" she said softly, offering her hand without even thinking about it.

Ron blinked and jumped to his feet, taking her proffered hand and shaking it briefly, rather than kissing it as Kim expected him to do.

"Hello Miss Possible" he said politely. "I'm a little surprised to see you here"

Kim tried to smile, but couldn't help but feel hopefully self conscious and nervous as she stood there, feeling the shocked gazes of Ron's companions burning into her.

"I was hoping to have the opportunity to speak with you" she said quietly, looking him in the eye. "In private, if you don't mind"

Ron shook his head quickly and offered Kim his arm, which she graciously accepted. As he began to lead her away, he glanced back at his friends, seeing the shell-shocked expressions that still hadn't changed. He offered them a short embarrassed smile and then was gone, disappearing among the crowd with the young woman walking beside him.

A short while later, Kim and Ron were walking together along the boat deck, chatting pleasantly with one another. Although Ron had suspected Kim had come to see him in regards to their short misadventure that took place the night before, she had so far kept the conversation completely clear of that topic, instead stalling for time by discussing more trivial topics, and badgering Ron for the details of his life.

"Well I've been on my own since I was twelve, when my parents died in a fire. I didn't have any siblings or other family around, so I left town and haven't been back that way since" he said conversationally, feeling completely comfortable in discussing these things, the pain and loss over the death of his parents having healed years before. "Ever since then iv been wandering from place to place, finding whatever work I could to support myself as I went."

He paused and glanced at Kim, who was listening to his every word with rapt attention and a sympathetic expression. He could tell that the conversation was unlikely to get to the real heart of the matter anytime soon, unless he helped it along a bit.

"Well Miss Possible…"

"Please Ron" she interrupted. "Call me Kimberly Anne"

Ron thought about it a moment and then offered her a goofy smile.

"That's a bit of a mouthful to get out all the time. Mind if I call you Kim? For short I mean?"

Kim blinked and for several long moments was unable to think how to respond. In all her life, despite having a number of people in her life who were supposedly her friends, she had never once met anyone who wanted to call her by a nickname. Her socialite elitist friends would have frowned upon even something as simple as a shortening of her name.

"Alright then" she said with a smile. "I think id like that actually."

Ron nodded and started again. "Well as I was saying…Kim. We've been walking around this boat deck for almost an hour now, discussing everything from the weather to the story of my life, but I have a feeling you didn't come to see me for a simple chat"

Kim lowered her eyes slightly, but was forced to nod her agreement.

"I wanted to thank you Ron for what you did for me last night" She glanced around, anxious to make sure nobody she knew was within hearing distance. "Especially for your discretion."

"Glad to have been of service" said Ron with a nod.

Kim felt her hands ringing together tightly, no longer able to keep her thoughts from tumbling out of her mouth in a rush.

"Listen I know what you must think of me" she said, her tone hinting at something close to self-loathing. "Poor little rich girl! Chafing against her privileged lifestyle that most people only dream of. What could she possibly know of real misery right?"

Ron blanched at this outpouring and quickly held up his hands to silence her, coming to a halt and leaning against the side of the ship.

"I can honestly say that I was thinking nothing of the sort" said Ron honestly. "What I was actually thinking was what could have possibly happened to this young woman to make her think that suicide was her only option."

Kim sighed and stepped up beside him, her hands coming to rest on the railing in front of her while her face turned to stare at his.

"It was a lot of things" she admitted. "It was my whole life, and all the people in it, making me feel trapped and helpless. All my decisions planned out for me and my horizons rigidly defined" She held up her hand, revealing the large diamond engagement ring on her finger. "And this didn't help matters much either."

Ron gaped at the large stone, taking her hand and holding it up so the sunlight refracted off it, shining a multitude of colours onto his palm.

"That's one hefty chunk of glass" he said with a whistle. "It's a good thing you didn't jump after all or it would have dragged you down like an anchor"

Kim groaned softly and took back her hand, the seriousness of the situation robbing any humour that she might have felt at Ron's pun.

"Over five hundred invitations have already gone out. His whole family and what remains of mine are waiting for us in Philadelphia. The cream of society will be in attendance. And yet all I can feel is like I'm trapped in a crowded room, screaming for help at the top of my lungs with nobody even taking notice!"

Ron frowned. It didn't exactly sound like a match made in heaven. "Do you love him?" he asked bluntly.

Kim felt the heat rising in her cheeks. "Pardon me?" she squeaked out.

"Do you love him?" Ron asked, not picking up on her discomfort.

"You can't ask me something like that" she said, feeling mildly scandalised. "It's a very impolite question!"

Ron raised an eyebrow at this comment. "Well it seems like a perfectly reasonable question to me. And a rather important one too. Why would you marry someone if you don't love them?"

Kim sighed and looked down for a moment, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "You don't understand."

"Obviously" said Ron, a tiny bit annoyed.

Her eyes looked back up at his, a doe eyed expression that almost instantly melted his heart.

"Please don't judge me too harshly Ron" she said, almost pleading. "Things in my world are rarely that clean cut."

Casting about for another topic of conversation, Kim spied and snatched the leather bound sketchbook from his hands, ignoring his yelp of shock and twisting away from him to prevent him grabbing it back.

"So what is this book you carry about with you?" she asked, moving over to the row of deck chairs and sitting down. She scanned through a few of the sheets within, not really having time to appreciate what she's seeing. "Are you some sort of artist?"

Her hands begin to move more slowly, taking the time to examine the sketches in more detail. The sketches depict various scenes from every day life, a middle class woman sitting with the front of the blouse exposed, nursing a baby in the arms, a couple strolling arm in arm along the deck of the Titanic, another is the sketch did before of the immigrant couple with the child pressed between them, staring out to sea. The pictures are remarkably detailed and expressive, almost seeming to come alive on the page.

"These are rather good" she said, slightly surprised. "Very good in fact"

Ron smiled at the compliment and sat down in the chair beside her, watching her leaf through the pages.

"Thanks for the compliment, though I must confess they weren't too impressed by my work in good old Paree"

Kim felt her brows rise in surprise at this admission.

"In Paris?" she asked. "You certainly have travelled a lot for a p…" she clamped a hand to her mouth. "I mean… a person with limited…"

Ron laughed and waved away her embarrassment. "Its ok Kim. You can say it. A 'poor guy'. I honestly don't mind, since it happens to be true."

Kim smiled in relief, glad she had not offended him, and continued looking through the sketchbook. She suddenly came to a stop at a page depicting several tastefully done nudes. Her cheeks began to burn, but not wishing to look childish or naïve, she flipped through several more pages, each depicting more nudes, of both white and dark skinned models.

"And these" she said, motioning at the pages with her eyes. "You drew these from life?"

Ron smirked slightly. "Well that was one of the benefits from working in Paris. There was no shortage of beautiful woman willing to take their clothes off. Didn't even have to pay most of em…"

Kim giggled and stopped at one full-page depiction. It was a dark skinned woman, shoulder length black spilling down her sides. The woman was laying on her side, one hand draped around the back of her head and the other splayed across her chest, only partially concealing her breasts from sight. Her posture was completely at ease and relaxed and she seemed to stare out from the page with a sultry 'come hither' stare. Kim scanned backwards through the earlier pages, noticing that the woman was depicted in several other drawings, though none this large or elaborate.

"You seemed to like this woman in particular" Kim commented with a hint of amusement. "You used her several times."

"Well she had very beautiful hands. And eyes" Ron said, by way of an explanation.

Kim smiled knowingly. "I think you must have had a love affair with this woman."

"What? Me and Zita?" Ron asked in surprise, noting the way Kim's head tilted slightly in confusion. "That was her name by the way, Zita Flores. There was nothing serious between us. We went out a couple of times, but nothing ever came of it" He nodded towards the book. "She was a model for an artists studio. He offered to let me use some of his models after I worked as a chef in his home and whipped up a feast that helped him climb up a few rungs on the social ladder"

Kim smiled and nodded, not detecting the slightest hint of a lie in his story and feeling no reason to doubt his explanation. She handed the book back to him.

"You have a rare talent Ron. You seem to be able to see people. Really see them."

Ron smiled and fixed her with the same piercing stare he had used the night before.

"I see you"

Kim tilted her head questioningly. "And what do you see?"

Ron folded his arms over his chest. "That you wouldn't have jumped."

* * *

In the First Class reception room, Kim's mother was drinking tea with several other influential women, the most prominent of which was the Countess of Rothes, sitting beside her cousin Gladys Cherry. 

"But the purpose of attending University" Ruth was saying. "Is to attain the skills required to locate a suitable husband. Kimberly Anne has already done that."

The woman sitting opposite her stiffened as she saw someone walk into the room.

"Oh no. It's that awful Brown woman. Quickly, let's get up before she tries to join us!"

Monique, who had indeed just entered the room, walked over to the group as they rose, a cheerful smile on her lips.

"Hey girls" she said jovially. "I was hoping to catch you at tea"

Ruth Possible, with a lifetime of experience in matters of putting on proper airs and graces, genuine or not, effortlessly affected an air of mild disappointment.

"We're awfully that you missed it" she said softly, glancing at the other women beside her. "The Countess and I were about to take in a spot of air on the boat deck."

Monique grinned and clasped her hands together.

"Well that would be lovely. It'll give me a chance to catch up on the latest gossip."

Ruth ground her teeth together as she forced herself to smile back, knowing that she could hardly refuse without causing a scene. As the group made their way across the room to the nearest exit, they passed by a table where Lord Fiske and Captain Director were sitting, talking quietly over their own cups of tea.

"Iv been told that you've neglected to light the last four boilers?" asked Lord Fiske, a slight scowl forming on his face. "Why is that?"

The captain shrugged indifference. "There's simply no need for it. We are already making excellent time. I'm fully confident that we will arrive in New York on schedule."

Lord Fiske was rapidly becoming impatient, his hands pressing together as he leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner. "But think now Captain. The press have already grown apathetic to the size of Titanic. Now we must make them marvel at her speed. The maiden voyage of the Titanic must make the headlines" His hands formed into fists. "The future of the company could depend upon it"

The Captain found herself frowning back at the man, not really enjoying being told how to do her job by someone with no real navel experience.

"Lord Fiske" she said patiently. "I would prefer not to push the ships engines too hard before we've had a chance to properly run them in."

The English nobleman paused and leaned back, sipping his tea in thought. Whatever skills he might possess, one of his finest was his ability to read and manipulate people into doing what he wanted, and he fancied he knew the proper way to coerce this woman into seeing things his way.

"Of course I'm merely a passenger and wouldn't dream of telling you how to run your own ship" he said tactfully, leaning forward again. "I know you've had to put up with that a lot, being a woman and all. You've certainly taken more than your share of criticism over the years due to nothing more than your gender" He noticed the flicker that crossed the woman's eyes and pressed home his point. "But wouldn't it really show them all how wrong they were if you got the ship into New York on Tuesday night and surprised them all" He grinned wolfishly. "How could they possibly deny your effectiveness as a Captain then?"

Captain Director felt herself sink back into her chair, her face an emotionless mask. A moment later she sighed and stiffly nodded her head.

Lord Fiske smirked and drained his cup. "Knew you'd see it my way."

* * *

At the A deck aft rail, Kim and Ron stood shoulder to shoulder, admiring the sunset. The sea was calm and tranquil, the whole scene like something out of a picture postcard. Ron was discussing his past history of jobs, which was quite an extensive list. 

"So after working in a Mexican foot outlet called Bueno Nacho I moved down to Santa Monica and did portraits on the pier for ten cents a pop. It was fairly good money but the area had a pretty bad crime rate at the time, so I decided to move onto…"

"That's something that's always annoyed me" interrupted Kim. "Crime I mean. Not just the petty small stuff. I mean the bigger nastier kinds as well" She sighed. "We never talk about it course, but a lot of people in my world are involved in shady little schemes. Back alley business deals and crooked tax reports. They don't care who gets hurt as long as their profit margins go up" She looked at Ron, already feeling enough trust to reveal one of her most cherished secrets. "I know it would sound ridiculous to you, but my dream has always been to fight against crime. To bring wrongdoers to justice and protect the innocent" She laughed humourlessly. "Silly isn't it?"

Ron smiled and shook his head. "That's not silly at all. Its remarkably noble in fact"

Kim beamed at him, inching slightly closer and feeling herself really getting into her idea.

"Say we'll go to that pier someday" she said eagerly. "Even if we only just talk about it. We could go and clean up that pier, and throw all those two bit crooks in jail."

Ron grinned and nodded in agreement. "Definitely. But you can't just walk up to people like that and ask them to come along quietly. You'd need to learn how to defend yourself. And none of that girly slapping either. You'd have to know how to box for a start!"

Kim blanched slightly. "You mean….with bare fists?"

Ron smirked at her reaction. "What? Didn't they teach you that in one of your fancy finishing schools?"

Kim shook her head no, causing Ron to smirk wider. "Then I'll show you. Come on!"

Ignoring her halfhearted protests Ron grabbed her by the hand, pulling her along the deck to a slightly more secluded spot. Satisfied that the two of them are away from any prying eyes Ron turned and held up his hands like a boxing coach.

"Ok. Hit me!"

Kim looked around uncertainly for a moment and then curled her hand into a rather weak fist, slapping it against his hand ineffectively. Ron snickered and shook his head.

"What the heck was that? That was feeble at best. You gotta get tough! Get angry!" He pondered for a moment and then snapped his fingers. "Imagine my hand is someone you really hate. I mean _really_ out and out despise."

Kim took about a heartbeat to think about whom she could imagine that would inspire such feelings within her. As Ron held up his hands again, she suddenly found herself staring at the mocking stare of Drew Lipsky as he casually dismissed all her hopes and dreams in order to satisfy his own selfish ego. Letting out an almost feral sound Kim bunched her hand into a solid mass of muscle, slamming it into Ron's hand hard enough to actually knock him off balance and into the railing. Worried that she had hurt him she quickly helped him upright, but Ron was already grinning, waving his hand to try and ease the stinging pain in it.

"That was great Kim" he said with admiration. "That's one heck of a punch you got there."

Kim smiled with pride and began to reply when she suddenly felt her blood run cold, the warmth instantly vanishing from her face. Seeing her expression Ron blinked in confusion and turned to see what she was looking at. A few paces away, Kim's mother stood with the Countess of Rothes and Monique Brown, as well as several other ladies, eyeing them strangely. It was obvious from their expressions that they had witnessed their entire impromptu sparring match. Kim instantly composed herself, stepping quickly up to her mother's side in hopes of forestalling any awkward questions.

"Mother!" she said brightly. "May I introduce Ron Stoppable"

"Charmed" said Ruth, a hint of ice water in her tone.

Monique was the only one to grin as Ron smiled sheepishly at the group, while Kim quickly made the introductions to the rest of the group.

_The others were gracious and curious about the young man who had saved my life, but my mother on the other hand looked at him as though he were an insect. A strange and dangerous insect that must be quickly crushed underfoot._

"Well Ron" said Monique with a chuckle. "It sounds like you'd be a good man to have around in a tight spot."

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of a man blowing a bugle behind them, the official meal call. Monique grumbled in annoyance.

"Why do they insist on announcing dinner like some damn cavalry charge?"

Kim laughed politely, glad for the disruption and quickly grabbed her mothers arm, leading her away. "Shall we go change for dinner mother?" She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Ron as she led her mother away. "See you at dinner Ron."

The Countess and her friends quickly followed after them, leaving Ron and Monique behind, Ron failing to notice the appraising look he was getting.

"Boy" she said, catching his attention. "Do you have the slightest clue what you're getting yourself into?"

Ron blinked and shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Nope!"

Monique sighed and shook her head. "Didn't think so. We'll your about to go into the lions den" She looked him up and down, noting his clean but clearly poor quality clothing, as creased and worn looking as ever. "Is that what your planning on wearing tonight?" She smirked as he nodded in confusion. "Yeah I figured as much. Come on"

She grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him away, whether he wanted to go or not.

* * *

In Monique's stateroom a large number of men's suits and other formal wear was spread out on the bed and chairs. Monique, grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary, helped Ron into a dinner jacket, completing the expensive tuxedo that he was now wearing. His blonde curls had been slicked back and he stood in front of the mirror, fruitlessly trying to adjust his crooked bow tie. Smirking, she turned him around, doing it for him. 

"Don't feel bad. Iv been married for more than 20 years and my husband still needs me to do this for him."

The tie straightened she turned him back to face the mirror. He now looked every bit as sophisticated as any other first class passenger.

"I knew these clothes would fit you" she said, admiring his look. "You and my son have around the same build" She giggled. "But he doesn't look anywhere as spankin as you do in that suit" She grinned and ran a hand over his shoulder. "If I was twenty years younger and still single id probably make a play for you myself"

Monique laughed heartily as Ron blushed furiously at the compliment and tried to shrink through the floor. Tonight was certainly going to be interesting.

* * *

Ron struggled to maintain a calm air as a steward bowed politely and opened the door leading into the First Class section for him. Unaccustomed to such a formal greeting, he barely resisted the urge to bow back at the man. Stepping through the doorway Ron was almost overwhelmed by the sheer scale of luxury laid out before them. He was at the top of the First Class Grand Staircase, covered by a huge glass dome complete with its own crystal chandelier. Everywhere he looked people stood talking in elegant finery, the women in a dazzling array of evening dresses, the men all in seemingly identical black suits, standing at rapt attention with one hand held stiffly at the small of their backs as they talk. Trying not to draw attention to himself, Ron descended to A deck, receiving polite nods from several gentlemen as he passed. Not wishing to give himself away he hastily copied their movements, even going so far as to hold him arm in the same manner as the rest of the males. Glancing up at the sound of familiar voices, he noticed Kim's mother and fiancé descending the stairs, both of them walking past him without giving any hint that they had recognised him. Following them with his eyes he watched as they greeted a couple they obviously knew, trying to memorise the mannerisms and body language they were using. So absorbed was Ron in this that he failed to notice Kim arriving at the top of the stairs, standing beside the large Edwardian style clock and staring down at him in amazement. As she slowly descended the stairs Ron turned and caught sight of her, his heart jumping up into his throat. Kim was a vision of loveliness, wearing a glittering dress of red and black, cut low to reveal her neck and shoulders. Her hands were covered in long white gloves that extended up past the point of her elbows. Her choice of jewellery was tasteful and slightly understated, a pair of pearl earrings and a simple diamond necklace completing the look. Ron swallowed down the lump in his throat as Kim arrived in front of him, looking him over with an approving eye. Reaching down Ron delicately took her hand, raising it up and locking eyes with her as he kissed it, his lips brushing over the back of her fingers in a way that made Kim blush and tremble slightly with pleasure. Before she could say anything he offered his hooked elbow to her, a small giggle escaping her lips as she took hold of it, unable to draw her eyes away from him. As they reached the spot where Drew and her mother were standing talking, Kim reached over and tugged on his arm. 

"Drew?" she said, butting into their conversation. "Surely you remember Mr Stoppable?"

Drew blinked in surprise and regarded the young man in front of him. He didn't know how the steerage buffoon had managed to acquire such expensive clothing at such short notice, and he briefly toyed with the idea of accusing him of having stolen them.

"Stoppable!" he said with barely concealed annoyance. "I didn't recognise you in that outfit" He sneered slightly. "You could almost pass for a gentlemen."

Kim frowned at the cheap shot, but Ron remained composed, the insult feeling like nothing compared to some of the scorn and ridicule he had had to endure at times in his life.

"Almost!" he said, beaming.

Biting back a growl of frustration, Drew turned and offered his arm to Ruth, escorting her down the stairs. Beaming with pride, Kim retook Ron's arm and followed in their wake. A short time later they arrived at the Reception Room, where the social elite were gathered to talk briefly among themselves before going into dinner. Kim stopped and pointed out several of the most prominent people for Ron's benefit.

"There's the Countess Rothes, you'll remember her from earlier" She turned him gently to look at another couple who were descending the stairs. "And that's John Jacob Rockwaller, the richest man on the ship. His little wifey Bonnie is the same age as me and in a delicate condition. You can see how she's trying to hide it" She turned to Ron and smirked slightly. "Its quite the scandal" She turned him again, catching sight of an older looking couple who were talking with Ruth and Drew. "And there we have Sir Cosmo and Lucille, Lady Duff-Gordon" Kim giggled and caught their eye, exchanging a wave. "She designs naughty lingerie, among her many other talents. Very popular with the royals, or so I'm told"

At that moment Monique walked up behind them, looking splendid in a glittering black evening dress, cut in a similar style as Kim's.

"You gonna be the gentlemen your dressed as and escort a lady to dinner?" she demanded jokingly, holding out her hand expectantly.

Without missing a beat Ron grinned back and offered his spare arm, which Monique accepted. As a trio they walked towards the dining saloon doors, Drew casting suspicious glances over his shoulder at them as he disappeared through the doorway.

"There ain't nothing to it, is there Ron?" Monique quipped as they walked into the dining room. "Just remember that to them, money is everything. If they ask, just pretend like you own a gold mine or something, and you'll fit right in." She noticed the couple in front of them and called out. "Hey, Rockwaller!"

John Rockwaller turned around and smiled, happy to see one of the few faces that hadn't taken to snubbing him over his marital situation. His wife narrowed her eyes at Kim for a moment, but turned to smile at the older woman as well.

"Well hello Nique! Nice to see you as always!" said John.

"J.J., Bonnie!" said Kim cheerfully. "Id like you both to meet Ron Stoppable"

The Rockwallers both smiled politely and shook his hand, John's eyes studying his face in an attempt to place it.

"Its nice to meet you Mr Stoppable. Are you perhaps one the Boston Stoppables?"

Ron grins and played along. "No actually. I'm one of the Chippewa Falls Stoppables. We're far more prestigious than our Boston cousins"

John nodded slowly and pretended as though he had known that all along. Kim and Ron made their way through the spacious dining room, lit by a series of chandeliers, the room filled with the sound of music provided by a small orchestra playing in one of the corners. The pair made their way towards one of the tables, where Ruth and Drew were already sitting.

_He must have been terribly nervous, but he never faltered. They all assumed that he was one of them. The heir to a railroad fortune perhaps. New money, obviously, but still a member of the club. My mother of course, could always be counted upon…_

Ruth waited until the entire group had sat down at the table, Ron sitting further down the table from Kim with Monique sitting at his right side. Also sitting at the table were Lord Fiske, Steven Barkin, Colonel Demenz, and the Countess of Rothes along with her cousin and the Rockwallers.

"Tell us of the accommodations in steerage Mr Stoppable" she said politely, just loudly enough to ensure the entire group heard her. "I've been told they're rather good on this ship."

Ron smiled politely. He had been expecting some digs at his expense, and had prepared himself accordingly.

"The finest on any ship I've travelled on ma'am" he said truthfully. "Hardly any rats at all"

While the table rang with laughter at this comment, Kim sneakily caught his attention, motioning for him to remove his napkin from his plate, which he readily did. Drew leaned forward slightly, eager to find some way to cause the young man to slip up and humiliate himself. After all, he had invited him here for a reason.

"Mr Stoppable is joining us this evening from the third class. He was of some assistance to my fiancé last night"

Kim, sensing that her fiancé was potentially up to no good, decided to try and derail his efforts by shifting the conversation onto other matters.

"It turns out that Mr Stoppable is quite a fine artist" she told the group, smiling at Ron. "He was kind enough to show me some of his works earlier today."

"Kimberly Anne and I differ on what we consider to be fine works of art" said Drew with disdain, blinking rapidly and clearing his throat, anxious to avoid overplaying his hand and losing face. "Not that I'm implying you're a bad artist of course"

Ron shrugged and waved away and possible offence he might have taken. A number of waiters arrived and began serving caviar to the group, Ron watching to see what Kim asked for and then doing so himself. Ron stared down as his plate, perplexed by the sheer number of utensils laid out before him. Three forks sat on the left hand of his plate, the right hand taken up by two knives, a large spoon and a smaller fork and spoon at the end. He glanced at Monique, looking utterly lost. Monique grinned back and leaned in close to avoid being overheard.

"Don't sweat it. Just start from the outside and work your way in"

Ron smiled back in thanks and looked back up, catching the tail end of a conversation going on at the other end of the table.

"He knows every rivet in her, don't you Steven?" asked Lord Fiske, holding up his champagne glass in a salute. They had been discussing the construction of the ship again.

Kim smiled brightly and turned to Mr Barkin. "Your ship is a wonder Mr Barkin, truly"

Barkin found himself softening slightly, his stern demeanour melting under Kim's beaming smile.

"Thank you Miss Possible" he said, the gruffness leaving his voice.

Ruth, not one to be easily put off from her goal, once again went on the offensive.

"And where exactly do you live Mr Stoppable?" she asked.

Ron nibbled at the delicate cracker holding his caviar, barely suppressing the wince as the salty taste assaulted his senses.

"Well right now my address is the RMS Titanic" he admitted, gulping down a mouthful of water to get rid of the awful taste. "Once we reach New York I'll be on gods good humour."

Ruth nodded, finding an opening. "And how is it you have the means to travel?"

"Well I work from place to place, mostly travelling on tramp steamers and the like" Ron said, scratching the end of his nose. "I happened to win my ticket for the Titanic in a lucky hand at poker" He glanced at Kim for a moment. "A _very_ lucky hand"

Colonel Demenz smirked at this comment. "All life is a game of luck!"

Drew narrowed his eyes at the man sitting opposite him, dearly longing for the day when he would be a position of real power, and he could have his assistant dispose of his old time rival.

"Real men make their own luck Colonel" he said shortly.

Ruth raised an eyebrow, ignoring the barely concealed barb. "And you find that sort of rootless existence appealing, do you?" she asked, her tone slightly cutting, causing both Monique and Kim to frown in annoyance.

Ron on the other hand merely smiled back at Ruth, his hands folded in front of him.

"Actually ma'am yes I do" he said, taking and biting into a bread roll. "All I really need is some fresh air in my lungs and some blank sheets of paper to sustain me. The way I look at it, life is a gift, and I don't intend to waste a single minute of it sitting around waiting for opportunity to fall into my lap. The real fun in life is seeking out your own opportunities and taking life as you find it" He sipped his champagne glass, enjoying the feeling of the bubbles tickling his nose. "Why only just last week I was sleeping under a bridge, and here I am now on the grandest ship in the world, sipping champagne with some of the worlds most influential people. I always remember the words my father spoke to me as a boy and there words I've always lived by. Make each day count!"

Monique grinned and clapped him on the arm. "Well said boy"

Colonel Demenz also nodded in approval, holding up his glass. "Here, here!"

Kim smiled and raised his own glass, proposing a toast. "To making it count"

The rest of the group raised their glasses and echoed her words, Drew belatedly following suit. He struggled to maintain a dignified expression as he spotted Kim and Ron smiling at each other. He had brought the buffoon here in order to watch him crash and burn in front of his friends and embarrass Kimberly Anne, hopefully crushing her wilful attitude and ego in the process. Things were not going at all according to plan.

* * *

As the dessert course drew to a close a waiter arrived at the table, offering around a large box of cigars, the men each taking one, with the exception of Ron. Kim learned over closer to Ron and spoke in a low tone. 

"Any second now they'll disappear into the smoking room for brandies."

As if on cue, Colonel Demenz rose to his feet, his cigar perched between his fingers. "Well then gentlemen, care to join me in a brandy?"

Kim smirked at knowing them so well, continuing to speak in a low tone.

"Their off to retreat into fog of smoke where they can stand around and congratulate each other on being Lords of the Earth"

The Colonel noted Ron had failed to stand with the rest of the men, calling over to him.

"Not joining us Stoppable? Surely you don't want to stay out here and gossip with the women?"

Ron shook his head. Although the idea of staying of staying in Kim's company did indeed sound like his idea of a fun evening, the prospect of doing so under her mothers watchful glare was not.

"Thanks anyway, but I think I'm gonna head back now"

The Colonel nodded and turned to leave, Drew passing Ron as me made to follow, regarding him with a sardonic eye.

"Probably for the best" said Drew, glad to be rid of the buffoon at last. "It'll be all business and politics anyway. Not something that would interest someone like you."

He turned and offered to escort Kim back to her cabin, who quickly declined, and with one final smirk in Ron's direction he stalked off behind the other gentlemen. Kim immediately felt herself pout as Ron rose to leave, not at all ready to have this fascinating young man walk out of her life, probably forever.

"Oh Ron, do you really have to go?" she asked sadly.

"Sorry Kim" he said softly. "Time for this galley slave to get back to his oar."

Before Kim could reply Ron again raised her hand to his lips, surreptitiously slipping a folded up piece of paper into her palm as he kissed her. Without waiting to gauge her reaction he turned and quickly strode away, Ruth's disapproving eyes following him the whole way. Kim waited until he was gone and then carefully unfolded the note, careful to keep her back turned from the other women remaining at the table. Written in a rough and rather hurried script were the words _Make it Count. Meet me by the clock_.

* * *

Kim slowly made her way across the A deck foyer, catching sight of Ron standing at the top of the stairs above, his back to her and facing the same clock she had been beside when he she met him earlier. As she ascended towards him the clock began softly chiming the hour. It was nine o clock. Sensing her presence Ron turned and smiled down at her, his hands resting comfortably in his pockets. 

"So Kim" he said with a grin. "How about I take you to a _real_ party."

* * *

In the third class general room, what could only be described as a wild party was taking place. The room was alive with the sounds of music being provided by an improvised fiddle band, laughter and merriment filling the air. Couples were dancing together wildly, or sitting at tables drinking and talking loudly over the din of the room. Kim sat at one such table with Felix, watching Ron dance carefully with a young third class girl, maybe six or seven years old, who had obviously developed a crush on him. She clapped along with the music, feeling more alive in this raucous atmosphere than she ever had in her entire life. Brick arrived at the table, setting down several pints of beer. Kim quickly snatched one, sipping at the rich dark brew and surprising herself by not being put off by the taste. As the band finished playing, Ron seized the opportunity to walk over to Kim, patting the young girl who had followed him on the head. 

"I'm gonna dance with her now ok?" he asked kindly, pointing to Kim. He noticed the small pout that instantly appeared on her little face. "Hey don't worry! The Ron man has lots of love to spread around" He reached down and gently pinched her cheek, winkling playfully. "Your still my best girl"

The young girl beamed with pride and ran off giggling. As the band began to play again, Ron turned and grabbed Kim by the hand, yanking Kim to her feet and pulling her close to him.

"Ron I cant do this" she protested weakly, feeling self-conscious again. "I don't know any of the moves."

Ron chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "That's ok, neither do I" He held her hands up in the proper positions for dancing. "Don't think about it. Nobody here gives a damn one way or the other. Just move with me"

As the music began to build in speed, Kim and Ron twirled together on the dance floor, somewhat awkwardly at first but quickly finding a natural rhythm and spinning around together like seasoned dancers, laughing gaily with each other and having the times of their lives. Felix, sitting at the table with Brick, could only watch the pair in amazement. Having known Ron for quite a while, he knew how awkward and shy he was around members of the opposite sex, often saying or doing the wrong thing and earning himself a slap in the face for his efforts. This new more confident Ron was something of a revelation and Felix could only imagine that it was his attractive new friend that had sparked it in him. Felix felt himself sighing slightly as he watched Kim and Ron twirl into the centre of the dance floor, showing off and inventing their own flashy little dance moves on the spot. A relationship between them was surely an impossible dream, and he dreaded the day when they arrived in New York, when his best friends heart was sure to be broken.

* * *

Not longer afterwards, the party still in full swing, Ron and Kim made their over to their table, both now flushed and sweaty. Noticing that Brick was now engaged in an arm wrestling contest with another burly Irishman Ron quickly learned over, grabbing two of the pint glasses, handing one to Kim and watching in amazement as she immediately chugged down a large amount of its contents. 

"What?" grinned Kim, feeling bold, light-headed and completely liberated. "You think a rich girl cant drink?"

Before Ron was able to reply a drunken man slammed into his back, jostling him and causing him to accidentally spill some of his pint onto Kim's dress. Ron froze in shock, certain he had destroyed the evening with yet another blundering goofball act, but Kim merely cackled with laughter, too far gone to even care. Ron breathed a sigh of relief and laughed with her, a loud slamming noise catching both their attentions. Brick, having just lost his arm wrestling match, was heatedly demanding a second go at it. Kim smirked widely; snatching the cigarette out of his unsuspecting mouth and taking a long draw from it.

"So you think your big tough men?" she challenged in a faux mocking tone. "Lets see you do this then!"

Kicking her shoes onto the floor, Kim had Ron hold up the hem of her dress and assumed a ballet pose, her arms raised above her head. With apparent ease she suddenly raised herself up, placing her entire body weight on first the tips of her feet, and then painstakingly, on her two big toes alone. Ron and the others could only stare in mute shock as Kim held this pose for several long seconds and then collapsed with a yelp, Ron barely catching her in his arms. Several of the men blanched and muttered their amazement at this feat of skill. Ron blinked down at her with concern.

"Wow Kim" he said. "That looked painful. You ok?"

Kim giggled and waved away his concern, placing her arms around his sides as he held her up. "I'm fine Ron. Its no big!"

At that same moment, a certain pale skinned woman appeared at the staircase leading down into the general room. Miss Go scanned the room stealthily, grinning with wicked delight as she caught sight of Kim in Ron's arms, the young man helping her back to her feet and back over to the dance floor. A cold gleam flashed across her eyes as she watched them, a tiny flicker of emerald gleam flame appearing unbidden at her fingertips.

"Oh Princess" she whispered evilly. "You're ass is grass now. I can't wait to see Lipsky's face when I tell him where you've been"

A moment later the cruel woman was gone, disappearing back up the stairwell before anyone had even taken notice of her. Kim and Ron were left to dance the rest of the night away, both blissfully unaware of the potential danger they were now in.


	4. Chapter 4

The following morning, Kim and Drew sat eating breakfast together on their private promenade deck, the bright sunlight and calm sea doing nothing to ease the tension that seemed to hang almost tangibly in the air. Kim, who was nursing a mild hangover, graciously accepted a cup of coffee from her maid, her eyes almost closed as she sipped at the caffeine rich beverage. Drew stared at her from across the table, waiting for the maid to disappear through one of the doorways before speaking.

"I had hoped" he said calmly. "That you would have come to me last night."

Kim almost choked on her coffee, coming wide-awake in an instant, her head snapping up to stare back at him. It took her a moment to calm herself enough to answer.

"I was tired." she replied, a statement that was perfectly true.

Drew's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yes I imagine all that dancing and brazen behaviour must have taken its toll."

Kim felt her back stiffen, having believed that her trip to the steerage section of the ship had gone unobserved by anyone she had known, save for Ron of course. She felt heat rising in her cheeks, but it was not the pleasant sort of heat she had felt herself experiencing in Ron's arms the night before. It was anger, pure and simple.

"I suppose you had that skulking, she-devil of an assistant of yours follow me?" she accused, setting her cup down. "How typical of you."

Drew ground his teeth together, barely suppressing his rage at her audacity.

"I never want to hear about you behaving in such a manner again. Do you understand me Kimberly Anne?"

This statement really got Kim's back up, her hands almost balling into fists and Ron's words on what to do when she got _really_ angry echoing through her mind.

"How dare you say that to me?" she said, trembling with rage. "Do you think I'm another one of you paid lackeys that you can order around? I'm your fiancé and if you think…"

Kim's words were cut short as Drew, who had been listening in a deathly silence, suddenly exploded with his own rage, his hand grabbing and hurling the table across the deck, ignoring the maid who had reappeared at the doorway with a pitcher of orange juice and was now standing in mute shock. Drew closed the distance between himself and Kim in a heartbeat, his hands gripping the sides of her chair in a pinning manner and his face mere inches from her. While hers had gone deathly white, his had actually developed some colour, seeming to turn a slightly darker shade of blue.

"Yes you are my fiancé" he snarled. "And my wife, by practise if not yet by law. So you will honour me, as a wife is expected to honour her husband. For I will not be made a fool of, least of all by you" He leaned back slightly, a cruel sneer appearing on his lips. "Is this in any way unclear?"

Kim, who had never before seen Drew react in such a violent and blatant manner, and who had certainly never found herself at the end of such a tirade, could only shake her head meekly, the shock and fear she was experiencing driving all thought of retaliation completely from her mind. Drew immediately brought himself back up to his full height, not even glancing in the maids direction as he stalked past her and through the door into his stateroom. Kim, feeling hopelessly disorientated and ashamed of herself, clumsily rose, attempting to assist the maid who was making her way over to clean up the smashed clutter surrounding the overturned table.

"I'm sorry Trudy" she said breathlessly, her whole body trembling with shock, picking up a piece of her shattered coffee cup. "We had…a little accident."

The maid, who tactfully ignored the rather blatant lie, knelt down beside her, trying to stop her.

"Miss please. Don't trouble yourself"

Kim barely fought back a sob. "But it's my fault. I…"

The maid softly grabbed hold of her arm, making Kim look at her.

"Its alright miss" she said, barely more than a whisper.

Kim instantly dissolved into sobs, almost falling into the maid's arms and weeping softly to herself. The maid froze for a heartbeat at the unfamiliar contact, but quickly recovered herself, one hand stroking through the young woman's long red hair, the other rubbing gently at her back in an effort to calm her.

* * *

Having recovered herself sufficiently and cleaned up the mess left behind by Drew's temper tantrum, Kim was dressing for the day in the stateroom, her maid assisting her with the arduous task of tying up her corsets. The process was halted when Ruth Possible stormed into the room, a cold gleam in her eye. 

"Tea Trudy!" she demanded, speaking to the maid.

The maid gave a hurried acknowledgement and scurried from the room, Ruth quickly closing the distance between herself and her daughter, attending to the matter of tying the corsets herself, none too gently.

"Kimberly Anne Possible" she said sternly. "I absolutely forbid you from seeing that boy again. Do you understand me?"

Kim sighed softly, not bothering to look back.

"Oh stop fretting about it mother" she said, sounding almost bored with the topic. "You'll give yourself a nosebleed"

Ruth seized her daughter by the shoulder, spinning her round to face her, her hard glare boring into Kim's calm face.

"Do you think this is a game young lady?" she said quietly, as though afraid of being overheard. "Need I remind you of how precarious our situation is? You know as well as I do that the money is all gone!"

Kim huffed indignantly. "Of course I know" she spat back, a pinch of venom lining her tone. "Not a day goes by when you don't remind me of it"

"Your father" Ruth went on saying, a small amount of sadness entering her voice as she was forced to remember her former husband. "Left us with nothing but a legacy of unpaid debts that have only been hidden this long by our proud family name" Her tone hardened once more. "His recklessness and obsession with those experiments of his are what led him to an early grave. And now _your_ recklessness could potentially destroy our whole family."

Without waiting for a reply, Ruth again spun Kim around and went to work on the corset strings, forcing Kim to grab hold of the bedpost and suck in her waist.

"I can't understand your reluctance" said Ruth, softer now. "It is a fine match with Lipsky. His wealth and prestige will ensure our family's survival"

Kim sighed loudly, her shoulders slumping slightly in defeat and her eyes lowering towards the bed.

"How can you put something like this onto my shoulders?" Kim asked softly.

Ruth stiffened slightly, but did not pause from her task as she spoke.

"Can't you understand that I'm doing this as much for your sake as anything else?" she demanded softly. "What would become of you if our family was ruined? We live in a world ruled by men. Your guile and intelligence wont impress many of them. And you couldn't survive as a servant. You have neither the domestic training or the proper attitude."

For this Kim had no answer to give. It was true she had hopes and dreams of working to make a better world. But she had never worked a single day in her life. Her upbringing had been privileged and highly sheltered. As much as she liked to believe she could adapt to life as a normal, everyday person, forced to pull her own weight and provide solely for her needs, she feared the prospect of having to do so with no one and nothing to fall back on if things turned sour.

"Its so unfair" Kim said sadly.

"Yes it is" Ruth permitted, tugging hard on the strings. "But what can you expect? We're women. Our choices in this world are never easy ones."

* * *

Given that it was now Sunday, Captain Director was leading a group of First Class passengers in a series of hymns in the dining saloon. Kim was in attendance, flanked by Ruth and Drew, Monique and Lord Fiske standing in the row ahead of them. They had just started a new hymn, Eternal Father, Strong To Save, their voices rising in unison. 

"**Eternal Father, strong to save,**

**Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,**

**Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep**

**Its own appointed limits keep;**

**Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,**

**For those in peril on the sea!"**

Ron, who was once again dressed in his regular clothes, walked towards the doors of the dining saloon, hoping to locate Kim inside. His progress was halted by the two stewards manning the door, one of which grabbed him by the arm.

"Sir!" he said hurriedly, holding him back. "Your not supposed to be in here! You need to go back to your own section of the ship"

The commotion was easily detected by Miss Go, who was standing well off to the side from the rest of the hymn group, dressed in a conservative looking emerald green outfit that still showed off her curves in the way she liked. Her eyes narrowed dangerously for a moment as she quickly made her way over to the doors, closing them swiftly behind her. Ron spotted the woman approaching, completely misinterpreting her intentions.

"Look! She knows me!" Ron said, pointing to the pale-faced woman. "She saw me here last night!"

Miss Go managed to hold down a sneer and she stopped in front of Ron.

"Listen kid" she said patiently. "Mr Lipsky and Mrs Possible want you to know that they appreciate your 'rescue act' and want you to have this" She produced two twenty dollar bills, holding them out. "So I suggest you take the money and stop nosing around where you're not wanted."

Ron spotted Kim through the door leading into the saloon, although she remained blissfully unaware of his presence as she sang. He struggled harder against the grip the steward had on it.

"Look I don't want any money" Ron protested. "I just need to talk to Kim about…"

"Gentlemen!" Miss Go interrupted sharply, slapping the notes into the steward's free hand. "Take this steerage trash back to where he belongs, and make sure he stays there."

The steward nodded and gripped Ron in a near death grip, the other steward grabbing his other side as they practically dragged the poor boy away. Walking back into the saloon, Miss Go shared a surreptitious nod with her employer, who had watched the entire commotion through the corner of his eye. Drew's lips contorted themselves into a self-satisfied smirk as he turned his attention back to the hymn, joining in mid stanza.

"…**And give, for wild confusion, peace;**

**Oh, hear us when we cry to thee,**

**For those in peril on the sea!"**

* * *

A short while later, Mr Barkin was standing in the ships bridge, conducting a short tour for the Possible party and talking with the captain when Harold Bride, one of the ships wireless operators, scurried into the room clutching a piece of paper, which he handed to the captain. 

"Another ice warning sir" the young man explained. "This one was from the Noordam"

Captain director took the note and dismissed the young man, scanning over the sheet briefly and then pocketing it. She looked back up, noticing the slightly wary expressions that both Kim and Ruth were now regarding her with.

"Oh there's nothing to worry about" she said confidently. "Its perfectly normal for this time of year. In fact, I've ordered an increase in speed. The last four boilers have just been lit."

Mr Barkin stiffened slightly at hearing this news, but kept his opinions to himself as he quickly led the group out of the bridge and on with the tour.

* * *

Ron walked along the aft well deck with a determination that he had rarely felt in his young life. Brick and Felix followed closely behind him, Brick pushing Felix's chair as they watched Ron climb the steps leading up to B deck and hop over the fence separating the third class section from the second class section. Brick gave out a frustrated sigh and quickly followed after him, leaving Felix at the bottom of the stairs. 

"Now look Stoppable" he said, trying to talk sense into the boy. "There's no denying that she's a fine woman. Any man would be blind not to see it. But she's walked out of your life and slammed the door behind her. What's this gonna accomplish?"

Ron shook his head, scurrying over to the wall below the A deck promenade.

"It wasn't her that pushed me away" Ron said firmly. "It was the ones around her. I have to see her again" He frowned. "You gonna help me or not?"

Brick slumped and shook his head in resignation, but quickly walked over, crouching down and cupping his hands together. The moment Ron stepped into his hands, the burly Irishman heaved upwards with all his might, boosting the much lighter man upwards and onto the First Class deck. Brick sighed again, hopping back over the gate to the third class section and leading Felix away again.

"That lad ain't thinking about this logically, that's for sure" said Brick.

Felix sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Well who ever said that love had anything to do with logic?"

Ron snuck along the aft section of A deck, keeping his eyes open for any crewmembers that might bar his way. Ducking behind some deckchairs, he spotted a young boy playing with a top on a string, a man who was probably his father and another man looking on and talking. He noticed that neither man wore a coat, both of them having discarded them along with their bowler hats on the deckchair nearest them. Keeping low and out of sight, Ron hovered silently, waiting for an ideal moment when the child spun the top magnificently along the deck, causing both men to stop and applaud his efforts, and a moment later Ron was taking off along the deck, slipping into the coat and slicking back his hair with his own spit, before placing the bowler hat atop his head. Operation Find Kim Possible was oficially a go.

At the same moment, Kim was walking along the boat deck with Mr Barkin, Ruth and Drew walking behind them. Kim cast her eyes to one of the covered lifeboats they passed, a perplexed frown creasing her features.

"Mr Barkin?" she asked curiously. "Forgive me for pointing this out. But I did the sum in my head, and with the number of lifeboats aboard times the capacity you mentioned to us" She paused and turned to face him. "It seems to me that there are not enough for everyone aboard."

Barkin nodded sharply, smiling. "Very astute of you to notice that Miss Possible. The lifeboats have a combined capacity to handle only half the number aboard ship" He motioned along the deck with his hand. "I had actually had these new type davits put in, that can take an extra row of boats behind this one" He stopped and frowned. "Although it was felt, by _some_ that it would make the deck look too cluttered. So my recommendation to the board was overruled."

Drew huffed with annoyance, looking at the lifeboats as though they were somehow distasteful.

"It's a waste of good deck space having even this many aboard ship" he said with annoyance. "If it were my decision to make, we would have left port with none at all."

Drew and Ruth continued on along the deck, leaving Kim behind. Mr Barkin noticed the way she was still looking at the lifeboats with concern and patted her arm.

"Don't let it trouble you Kimberly Anne" he said kindly, if still a little stiffly. "I pride myself on my work. It's likely that those lifeboats will never be needed."

Kim nodded and followed after Mr Barkin a moment later, trailing at the back of the group. So preoccupied was she with her thoughts that she failed to notice the arm that shot out of the nearby gymnasium door as she passed, pulling her bodily into the room and closing the door behind her. Kim spun around, fearful of some kind of attack, but gaped in shock when she saw Ron standing there, smiling at her.

"Ron?" she asked, eyes wide. "What are you doing here? We can't see each other like this."

She made to move towards the door, but Ron quickly stepped into her path, blocking her exit.

"Kim I need to talk to you" he insisted.

"No Ron" she said, shaking her head. "Like it or not, I'm engaged. I'm going to go through with the marriage. Its important to my family."

"Kim" Ron said softly. "You're certainly no picnic. Id even go as far as to call you a spoiled brat at times" He smiled. "But underneath all that you are the strongest, kindest, most selflessly astounding girl…no woman! That I have ever met."

"Ron please don't I..." Kim was cut off by Ron grabbing her shoulders, preventing her escape.

"Please Kim! Let me get this out!" he pleaded, stammering slightly. "I'm not the idiot people take me for. I know how the real world works. I have like ten dollars in change in my pocket and no long-term prospects. I know I have nothing to offer you that compares to anything Lipsky can" He sighed. "But I'm too involved in your life to turn away now. You jump, I jump, remember that? I can't walk away without knowing that you're going to be happy. That's all I really want."

Kim matched his gaze with one of her own. "I'll be fine. It's so not the drama."

Ron frowned. "I think it is _the drama_, as you put it. They've got you trapped Kim, and you're going to die if you don't break free. It wont happen right away, cause I know how strong you are inside, but sooner or later they'll wear you down and that bright spark inside you that makes you so unique will just be _gone_."

With surprising strength Kim tore herself loose from his grip, backing towards the door.

"It's not your job to save me Ron."

"No" Ron admitted. "Only you can do that."

Kim turned and opened the door, hesitating for a moment before turning back. Her face was sad, but resolute.

"I have to go before I'm missed" she said firmly. "Ron please, for your own sake if not for mine, stay away. You don't know how dangerous someone like Drew Lipsky can be."

A heartbeat later the door slammed shut and Ron Stoppable was left along, where he promptly slumped to the floor and buried his face in his hands.

* * *

In the First Class lounge, Kim sat at a table with her mother and several other women, taking afternoon tea. Although an animated discussion is taking place, Kim remains silent, seemingly oblivious to all around her. Her eyes stare forward vacantly, almost completely devoid of life. 

"Of course we ended up having to send the invitations back to the printers twice" said Ruth, unaware of her daughter's discomfort. "And the trouble we had with the bridesmaids dresses! Let me tell you what an odyssey that has been…"

Kim's eyes came to rest on a mother and daughter taking tea at a table across from theirs. The child, little more than four years old, is already the image of Edwardian sophistication; her white-gloved hands daintily picking up her teacup after her mother corrected her posture. The child has obviously been groomed since birth in decorum and proper manners, her tiny hands placing a napkin across her lap with a practised air. Kim barely suppressed a shudder as she recalled similar scenes from her own childhood, her strict and relentless conditioning turning her into a creature of impossible perfection. And more horrifying than that, a vision of things to come flashed through her minds eye, with an older Kim, looking like a doppelganger of Ruth Possible, diligently putting her own child through the exact same conditioning.

* * *

As sunset filled the sky, Ron Stoppable stood at the bow rail of the ship, his arms resting on the apex where the port and starboard rails met. The first time he had stood here, his mood had been one of cheerful optimism and joy. Now his mood was the polar opposite. He stared down at the water, silent and depressed. 

"Hey Ron."

Ron jumped in shock, spinning round to look in the direction that the familiar voice had come from. There, standing a few paces away from him, her cheeks flushed by the chill wind and her turbulent emotions, was Kim Possible. She smiled.

"I changed my mind."

Ron felt himself smiling back, struggling to think of something to say as Kim took a hesitant step towards him.

"Felix suggested that this might be a good place to look…"

Ron instantly shushed her with a finger to his lips, reaching out with his hand.

"Come here" he said softly.

Kim nodded and stepped closer to him, her soft hand closing over his.

"Do you trust me?" Ron asked.

Kim didn't even hesitate before replying. "I trust you."

"Then close your eyes" Ron said.

Kim sighed softly and squeezed her eyelids shut, instinctively tilting her head and leaning forward, expecting him to kiss her. His hands turned her to face the front of the ship however, pressing her gently to the rails and urging her to step up onto them, moving in to fill the space behind her. With her eyes still clamped shut Kim felt Ron gripping her arms, lifting them up and holding them out to her sides. As though sensing his intentions her arms remained in position as he lowered his hands to her waist, holding her securely.

"Now open your eyes"

Kim let out a gasp of surprise as her eyes took in the sight before her. From her vantage point atop the rails all she can see is ocean, the Atlantic Ocean rolling towards her into a rush, her arms stretched out like wings.

"I'm flying!" she said, breathless with amazement.

Ron grinned and pressed himself against her back, singing softly into her ear.

"Come Josephine in my flying machine! And its up she goes, up she goes!"

Kim laughed, the sound like music in Ron's ears as his hands once again found hers. Their fingers intertwined and lowered into an embrace as Kim turned her face to look back at him, a burning desire in her eyes. Without a further word spoken between them, Kim's hand snaked up and curled around the back of his neck, pulling his lips down to meet hers in a soul searing kiss. The kiss is shy, almost hesitant, but only for a moment, and soon they are kissing with a passionate intensity, the world seeming to dissolve around them until all that was left was the two of them, wrapped together in a lovers embrace that neither was willing to break. They remained like this for some time, as the sun slowly sank into the Western sky and the Titanic ploughed onwards through the calm sea.

* * *

Old Kim sighed as she opened her eyes, bringing herself out of her memories and back to the present day. By now her story had attracted a few more listeners, most of them lounging around in the background and only half paying attention. 

"That was the last time that the Titanic ever saw daylight" she said sadly.

"So that brings us up to the night of the sinking" said Josh, quickly changing the tape in the recorder, setting it back down. "Six hours to go."

Wade frowned and shook his head, pacing back and forth. "Can you believe that though?" he asked incredulously. "The Captain receives ice warnings and actually orders the ship to go faster. How reckless can one person be?"

"That's not fair Wade" objected Josh. "Captain Director has twenty six years of naval experience working against her. She figured that anything big enough to pose a threat to the ship, they'd be able to see it in time to avoid it. But the Titanic was way too big, with too small a rudder. It had a huge turning circle. Everything Director took for granted was wrong."

Kim sighed softly and turned to face the row of video monitors still playing back the recorded dive footage, focusing on the one that was showing the footage from rooms B52 – 56, her old suite. After taking a moment to compose herself again, she closed her eyes, returning once again to the memories of her past.

* * *

Giggling and pulling his hand, Kim practically dragged Ron into her suites sitting room, Ron now carrying his sketchbook and drawing materials in his free hand. The moment they were inside she closed and locked the door behind them. 

"Its ok Ron really" she said, noticing his hesitation. "It's only the sitting room. And we're all alone here."

Ron marvelled at the opulence of the room, the furniture and décor almost alien to someone from such a poor background.

"Speaking of being alone" Ron said, glancing back at her. "Should we be expecting your fiancé anytime soon?"

Kim snorted and shook her head. "Not as long as the brandy and self satisfied conversation holds out." She glanced around the room, watching as Ron studied the ornaments on the mantelpiece. "Is the light in this room alright? I know artists are supposed to need good light."

Ron smirked and made a show of wiping a non-existent dust stain from the mantle, putting on a horrible fake French accent.

"Ah Oui, zis is true!" he said thickly, waving his hand about. "But ay am not used to workeeng in zeese orreeble conditions!"

His joking was instantly halted when he noticed the paintings that Kim had set up in one corner of the room, one in particular catching his eye. He immediately rushed over to, running a trembling finger just above its surface, too afraid to actually touch it.

"Is that…?" he asked breathlessly. "A _real_ Monet?"

Kim blinked in surprise, walking over to join him.

"Yes it is. You recognise his work?"

Ron nodded, not looking away from the painting. "I saw him once in Paris. He's a totally brilliant artist. Such amazing use of colour."

Kim turned and walked away from him, disappearing into the adjoining walk in closet. Ron arrived at the doorway just in time to see Kim spin the tumbler on Drew's safe, reaching the final number and yanking the safe open with a loud clunk. Reaching inside, she fished out a jewellery box, opening it and presenting the flawless Heart of the Ocean necklace to Ron. Ron whistled and took it from her, holding it up to the light.

"That's a pretty impressive stone" he said, slightly nervous to be holding something that was most likely worth more than he had ever earned in his entire life, and was ever likely to earn. "Its blue…so that means it's a sapphire right?"

"No" Kim said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "It's a diamond. A very rare diamond."

Ron barely managed to nod in reply, too caught up in examining the gemstone in detail. Kim leaned in closer, her hot breath tickling his ear as she whispered into it.

"I want you to draw a portrait of me Ron, wearing this."

Ron nodded. "Sure. That would be easy."

Kim smiled devilishly. "I mean wearing _only_ this."

The colour instantly drained from Ron Stoppable's face as he turned to stare into Kim's eyes, half convinced that she had to be joking. It was a testament to his inner resolve that he didn't faint outright, but simply swallowed quietly and nodded.

* * *

Although he was trembling inside, Ron moved quickly and methodically. He dragged an Empire divan into the middle of the room, adjusting it until it was positioned in the spot that gave off the best light. Grabbing the cushions be bunched them together at one end, an improvised pillow. Opposite it he placed a chair and small table, from which he can work. Placing down his sketchbook and drawing supplies, he pulls out several pencils, setting them down with all the care and precision of a surgeon preparing his tools. Satisfied that everything was prepared, he stopped and took several calming breaths. Looking up he saw Kim appear at the doorway, wearing a black silk kimono. The necklace was draped around her neck, the blue diamond resting against the swell of her breasts. Smiling seductively Kim walked into the room, a shiny dime clasped between her fingers. 

"The last thing that I need is another portrait of me looking like some porcelain doll. And as a paying customer" she said, dropping the coin into Ron's lap. "I expect to get what I want."

Stepping back, Kim gripped and parted the kimono, letting it fall to the floor. Ron's eyes became as wide as saucers, his jaw slack. It took him several long moments before he was able to force his eyes from travelling over the supple curves of her body, looking her in the eye. For a fleeting moment he considered making a comment on her being a natural redhead, but quickly thought better of it.

"Lay down on the bed…I mean the couch…the couch"

Kim felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins and she slowly obeyed, stretching out on the divan and making herself comfortable, her arm briefly moving next to her head and she tried to find a good place to rest them.

"No" Ron said urgently. "Put your arm back the way it was, across the back of your neck" He nodded as she complied. "And rest your other one by your face, palm towards me. That's good. Now tilt your head down, and keep your eyes turned towards me" He quickly moved his sketchbook into position, the pencil poised in his hand. "And try not to move."

Kim smiled as Ron began to draw, his hand seemingly moving of its own volition, his eyes never leaving hers. Letting out a calming breath, Kim felt herself relaxing, feeling not a hint of shame at being in this position, her nubile young body on display before him. Instead she felt bold, brazen and wonderfully sexual. She giggled lightly as she saw the piercing look in his eyes.

"So serious" she chided playfully.

Ron barely fought off the urge to laugh, not wishing to shake his hand and tarnish his efforts. Already Kim's body and face were beginning to take shape on the page, the rough outlines of her body being gradually shaded in and filled with detail. Although having been in this situation many times before, the rawness of his emotions added a completely new dynamic to the situation for Ron, and he could feel the heat rising in the cheeks as he worked, her firm breasts and nipples taking shape on the page.

"I do believe you are blushing Mr Big Artiste" she said with a sultry purr. "I can't imagine someone like Monet blushing"

Ron smirked. "That's cause he paints landscapes" He mock frowned. "Now stop talking. And relax your face."

Kim gave a tiny nod, falling silent once more. Her eyes are sparkling, radiant with an inner fire that burns more fiercely within her than it ever has before . Ron worked tirelessly, the details in her face coming to life, her long hair spilling down below her shoulders, the perfectly depicted Heart of the Ocean resting against the top of her cleavage. Kim sighed dreamily as she watched him, her eyes soft and doe like, and wishing in her heart of hearts that this flawlessly wonderful moment would never end.

* * *

Old Kim sighed, her head tilted upwards and a faraway look in her eyes as she recalled that moment, still so vivid in her mind after 84 years. 

"My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it would burst" she said softly. "It was the most intensely erotic moment of my life…up until then anyway."

Noticing the silence, Kim dropped her head back level. In front of her, a large audience had now gathered, forming a tight semicircle around her, every face staring in mute fascination, hanging on her every word.

"So…" said Wade with a cough, trying to sound nonchalant. "What happened after that?"

Kim smirked knowingly. "Hmm? Do you mean… did we… 'do it'?"

The group laughed as Wade blushed furiously, burying his head in his heads. Josh grinned at his young colleagues embarrassment.

_

* * *

_

Kim, once again dressed in her kimono, rested against Ron's shoulder as he signed and dated the completed drawing, slipping it into his leather folder and half turning, handing it back to her. Kim accepted it gratefully, pulling him in close for another long kiss. Their lips pulled apart only reluctantly and Kim stifled a giggle.

"Thank you" she said, meaning it on more than one level.

Smiling, Kim walked over to one of the side tables, scribbling a note onto a sheet of White Star stationary. Folding it up, she sat it on top of the jewellery box that once again held the Heart of the Ocean, handing both to Ron, along with the folder.

"Put these into the safe for me Ron, please and thank you"

Ron nodded and strode into the wardrobe, slipping the items snugly into place. He took a moment to goggle at the rather blatant wealth contained within the safe and then shook himself out of it, slamming the safe door shut.

* * *

Sitting in the First Class smoking room, Drew sat at a table with Colonel Demenz, nursing a brandy sullenly and trying to pretend that he was interested in the Colonel's idiotic opinions. A small movement coming from one of the doorways suddenly caught his attention, and he glanced up in time to see Miss Go giving him a pointed look before ducking back out into the corridor. 

"Ah….please excuse me for a moment Colonel. I believe I neglected to …ah … give the porters the time for my early wake up call."

Without waiting for a reply, Drew quickly bounded across the room, stepping out into the corridor and glaring at the pale woman impatiently. She sighed and shook her head at him.

"I've been asking around for over an hour. None of the stewards know where she is"

"Damn it Shego!" he barked out, pausing when he spotted her blanch and stare around them in a panic for sign of eavesdroppers. "What?"

Miss Go hissed in annoyance. "Since when do we use our codenames in public? After all the times you've lectured me about it? 'Not until we take over the world Shego. Not until we take over the world' what happened to that? What's gotten into you anyway?"

Drew snarled and clenched his hand into a fist. "I'm tired of moving so slowly. The minute we get to New York, we're really going to start putting my plans into action" He shook his head, annoyed at the change of subject. "Never mind that now! This is a ship. There are only so many places she can hide. Do whatever it takes, but find my fiancé!"

* * *

On the bridge, Captain Director stared out into the blackness ahead of the ship, stirring a cup of tea in her hand. The water around the ship was almost completely motionless, like a vast pool of oil. Second Officer Charles Lightoller walked up behind her, also looking out at the calm sea. 

"I don't think I've ever seen such a flat calm before" he said.

The captain nodded, manipulating the slice of lemon in her tea with her spoon.

"It's like a mill pond" she agreed. "Not a breath of wind."

Officer Lightoller frowned slightly. "It will make the icebergs tougher to spot, with no breaking water at the base"

"Mmmmm" replied the Captain indifferently, sipping her tea. "Well I'm going to retire for the evening. Maintain speed and heading Mr Lightoller, though be sure to wake me the moment you believe there is any reason for concern"

"Yes Sir"

* * *

Kim, now fully dressed in a warm outfit meant to keep off the bitter chill of the night, emerged from her bedroom and back into the sitting room where Ron was waiting. He smiled and gave her a quick once over with his eye. 

"You look nice" he said.

Kim opened her lips to reply, but clamped them shut an instant later as she heard a knock coming from the sitting room door, a key turning in the lock and a familiar female voice drifting through it.

"Miss Possible?" the voice demanded.

Kim grabbed Ron by the hand, yanking him into the bedroom and out of sight just as the door opened, revealing the stern gaze of Miss Go. Miss Go stepped into the room, instantly spotting the displaced furniture and crumpled kimono still lying on the floor. A moment later she heard the soft bang of Kimberly Anne Possible's stateroom door closing, and took off towards the sound of the noise.

Out in the corridor, Ron and Kim made their way away from the suite, believing they had made good their escape when the door leading into Kim's stateroom opened, Miss Go emerging and staring up and down the hallway, doing a double take as she spotted the young couple.

"RUN!" Kim yelped.

Taking off at a run, Miss go hot on their heels, Kim led Ron over to the elevators just as one arrived, diving inside and almost knocking the operator into the back wall.

"Take us down!" Kim demanded, sounding shrill. "Quickly!!"

The operator scrambled to comply and pulled the steel gate shut just as the enraged Miss Go slammed into the bars, her hands balled into fists.

"Princess get back here!!" she growled.

Kim smirked and suddenly flipped Miss Go the middle finger as the elevator descended out of sight, laughing uproariously with Ron. Miss Go, letting out an almost feral sounding roar, turned and ran towards the stairs.

Emerging from the elevator onto E deck, Kim and Ron ran pell-mell through several corridors, heedless of where they were going, jostling several porters and almost knocking over a man pushing a trolley full of dirty dishware. Coming to a halt against a wall opposite a set of double doors, the two stood panting and laughing together.

"That woman is a real piece of work" Ron said breathlessly. "With her attitude, you'd think she was a hired goon."

"There are times I've suspected that she was" Kim admitted.

At that moment Miss Go made an appearance in the connecting corridor through the double doors, her keen senses instantly catching sight of Ron and Kim and her muscles flexing as he barrelled towards them. Taking off again, Kim and Ron ran down several more hallways, suddenly finding themselves at a dead end. Turning back, they heard footfalls approaching rapidly from around the corner. Spotting a single door, Ron grabbed Kim and leapt through it, slamming the door and latching it closed. An instant later the door shook violently, the handle rattling. Seeing no other means of escape from the room save for a single ladder leading downwards, the two looked at each other for a moment and them scrambled down it, Kim taking the lead. They emerged into the gloom of boiler room five, the smoke, heat and orange red haze making it look like a scene straight from Dante's Inferno. Hand in hand the couple ran through the boiler room, dodging between stokers and men wheeling barrows full of coal, the dim light and roar of the fires causing them to go unnoticed by most of the toiling workers, the few who do spot them barely giving them more than passing glances before going back to their labours. After a seemingly long time running, the two come to the end of the boiler rooms, opening another steel door and finding themselves in cargo hold number 2. Wide eyed they make their way between rows of stacked cargo crates, looking around curiously, soon coming to a stop in front of a brand new Renault touring car sitting atop a pallet, its highly polished finish making it look more like Cinderella's magic coach than a mere car. Kim walked up to the passenger door, grinning and clearing her throat loudly. Taking the hint, Ron bowed low and opened the door for her, offering her a hand to help her into the car before clambering into the drivers seat, clutching the wheel.

"Where to miss?" he asked in a faux servile tone.

Kim laughed once. "To the stars!"

Striking like a coiled serpent, she grabbed him, her arms hooking under his and bodily dragging him over the drivers seat and into the back of the car. The two immediately came together in an embrace, their lips meeting and pressing together hungrily, the tips of their tongues dancing in and out of each other's open mouths. Panting softly they broke apart, their eyes meeting and sharing an unspoken understanding. Permission was sought and received.

"Nervous?" Ron asked softly, stroking her cheek.

"No" Kim replied, barely above a whisper.

Taking hold of his hand, Kim began gently kissing his fingertips, savouring the taste of his skin. Smiling, her fingers intertwined with his.

"Touch me Ron" she said, her voice low and husky.

Neither knowing which of them guided his hand, Ron gently cupped her breast through her blouse, pressing her slowly down along the length of the seat, their mouths locking together hungrily, Kim's arms clutching at the back of his neck as she felt the proof of his desire stirring against her.

* * *

Halfway up the foremast, in the small half cylinder of the crow's nest, two young men stood huddled against the cold, stamping their feet and rubbing their hands together. The pair are twins, in their early twenties, named Jim and Tim Fleet. 

"I can smell ice you know" said Jim, showing off. "When its nearby."

Tim scoffed. "No you can't! We're twins, and if I cant do it, neither can you!"

Jim puffed out his chest in indignation. "Yeah? Well I've got five bucks that says I can do it"

Tim grinned and grabbed his brother's hand, shaking it. "Your on!"

Meanwhile, below them, just outside the bridge house, First Officer Du was standing at attention, his hands resting on the rails. Second Officer Lightoller walked up behind him, sheltering his hands in his pockets.

"Did anyone ever manage to find the binoculars for the lookouts?" asked Lightoller.

"No" replied Du, sounding annoyed. "I have a feeling that they were left behind in Southampton."

"Ah well" said Lightoller, taking out his hands and rubbing them together. "I'm going to go on my rounds. I'll see you in a while."

* * *

The rear window of the Renault car was completely fogged over from the activity going on within. A feminine hand suddenly slammed into the glass, holding in place for several seconds before sliding down and out of view. Inside the car Ron and Kim lay together, limbs entangled and panting together, coming down slowly from their orgasmic bliss. Both of their faces were flushed and Ron shivered slightly as he nestled in her embrace. 

"You're trembling" Kim said softly, running her fingers through his hair.

"I'm fine" Ron reassured her. "Believe it or not, that was as much a first for me as it was for you. I'm just a little worn out."

Kim smiled and kissed his forehead, gently cupping his face and resting it against her chest, letting the rhythmic thumping of her heartbeat soothe him.

* * *

Drew stood beside his safe, clutching the drawing of Kim in his hand, his featured contorted in fury. In his other hand he held the note that Kim wrote for him, his eyes scanning over it once again. 

**My dear fiancé, now you can keep me locked up tightly within your safe forever, Kim.**

Standing behind him, Miss Go peered over his shoulder, seeing the contents of both the drawing and the note for herself.

"Well, well" she said, a trace of mockery in her voice. "Looks like Miss Possible has been a busy girl. I didn't think the prissy little Princess had it in her."

Drew growled loudly, his hands clutching the drawing and almost tearing it in half when he suddenly stopped himself, smiling cunningly.

"I think I have a way to deal with that buffoon, once and for all"

* * *

Two stewards, who had been informed by the boiler room workers that passengers were running amok where they weren't supposed to be, entered the cargo hold, their large electric torches casting beams of light against rows of cargo. As they two men stalked their way through the hold, one spotted the Renault touring car, a single handprint marking its fogged over rear window. Snapping his fingers once to get his colleagues attention the two snuck up to the car, keeping their torch beams low. Grabbing the door handle he held up his free hand, showing three fingers. He dropped one finger, then a second. The moment the third finger fell he yanked open the door hard, both men leaping forward and pointing their torches into the cars interior. 

"GOTCHA!!" one yelled triumphantly.

It took a moment for him to realise that there was nobody currently occupying the vehicle, and he dropped his head in embarrassment for a moment before turning to continue the search.

* * *

Kim and Ron emerged onto the deck through a crew door, laughing together and embracing each other as much for physical gratification as to stave off the biting chill of the wind. Up above them in the crow's nest, Jim heard the noise below and peared down at them curiously. Kim nuzzled her cheek against Ron's, oblivious to the cold around her.

"Ron I've made up my mind" she said. "When this ship reaches New York harbour, I'm getting off with you."

Ron jolted in shock, holding Kim at arms length, looking at her with a mingled combination of uncertainty and desperate hope.

"Are you sure you want to do that Kim?"

Kim smiled brilliantly and pressed her lips gently to his. "I've never been more certain of anything in my entire life. That's why I know its right."

Smiling back, Ron pulled her close and the two again clung to each other, kissing passionately. Looking from above, Jim wrinkled his nose in disgust at the scene.

"Ugh!" he said in annoyance. "Get a room"

"Huh?" asked Tim, pushing over to see what his brother was looking at. "Oh! Ick! Mushy stuff!" he said, his own nose wrinkling. "Still they look like they're a lot warmer than we are."

Jim snorted and pushed his brother back over to his own side of the crow's nest, looking away from the romantic display taking place below them.

"Yeah well if that's what it takes to be warm" Jim groused. "I'd sooner freeze"

The two laughed together and turned back to attend to their duty. It took only a second for the laughter to die on Jim's lips, his eyes widening in shock. He heard his brother gasping in shock a heartbeat later. Looming out the darkness, directly in the ships path was an enormous iceberg, barely visible in the darkness at a distance of 500 yards. Their voices rang out in unison.

"Hicka-bicka-**DAMN**!"

Jim grabbed and rang the lookouts warning bell three times, then scooped up the telephone in front of them, calling the bridge. Precious seconds passed in silence as he waited for a reply.

"Come on!" he yelled urgently. "Pick up the phone!!"

Hearing the bell, First Officer Du turned and stared out in front of the ship, trying to spot the trouble. At the same moment, Second Officer Lightoller calmly walked over to the ringing telephone inside the bridge, answering it.

Is anyone there!?" came Jims panicked voice before the officer could speak.

"Yes" replied Lightoller with concern. "What do you see?"

"**ICEBERG**!" screamed Jim."**RIGHT AHEAD**!"

_

* * *

__Dun dun dun! Sorry to end on such an obvious cliffhanger, but I needed to find a place to end the chapter, and this seemed as good as any. The next chapter will most likely be the last, running on until the end of the story. Stay tuned!_


	5. Chapter 5

Second Officer Lightoller ran flat out towards the doorway leading out of the bridge, almost colliding with First Officer Du, who was coming the opposite way.

"Iceberg, right ahead!" yelled Lightoller.

"Hard a starboard!" commanded Du.

While the crewmen manning the wheel began spinning it, Du ran over to the engine room telegraph machine, pulling it round to a new setting as fast as he could. In the same moment he did the crewmen at the wheel jerked as he found the wheel could turn no further.

"She's hard over!" he reported.

Chief Engineer Edwards was busying himself checking on a small pot of soup that he was heating on one of the steam manifolds when he heard a clang coming from the telegraph machine. Looking up he performed the world's fastest double take, jumping to his feet in alarm.

"FULL ASTERN!!" he yelled out, knocking the pot to the floor. "SERIOUSLY!"

Below them in the boiler rooms a panic was raised as several red warning lights lit up and the 'Stop' indicators began blinking rapidly. The leading stoker, Frederick Barrett, goggled for alarm for half a second, quickly leaping into action.

"Shut all the dampers!" he yelled out, his men quickly complying. "Close them all!"

The Chief Engineer watched the connecting rods gradually slowing down as a young engineer cranked the pressure wheel round, reducing the power to the engines.

"Hold it" he said warily, waiting for the proper moment. A second later he acted. "NOW! Engage the reversing engine!"

The moment the reversing engine was activated the rods came to a horrible jarring halt, ending the motion of the propellers. After several agonizing seconds the rods began slowly spinning in the opposite direction, the propellers now working to drag the ship backwards rather than propel it forwards. Edwards knocked the younger engineer aside as he took over the job of cranking the pressure wheel himself, forcing more and more power into the propeller.

On the bridge, Officer Du ran out and clung to the rails, watching as the iceberg loomed ever closer, still directly in the ships path. The ship hadn't changed course at all.

"Is it hard over?!" Du demanded, looking back at the wheelhouse.

"Yes sir!" came the reply. "Hard over!"

Du turned and watched in growing alarm as the iceberg loomed even closer still, seeming to tower high above them as they drew close. His knuckles grew white as he held onto the railing in front of him with a death grip.

"Come on" he said in a voice of strangled calm. "Turn. Turn you whore!"

As if on cue, the ship began turning slowly, the iceberg gradually moving off towards the Titanic's port side. But the effect was far too little, far too late. As several crewmen near the bow rails screamed and ran for cover there came a huge shuddering crash as the berg collided with the side of the ship and scraped along the hull. The effect was almost immediately felt over much of the ship. Still clutched together, Kim and Ron were pulled forcefully from their kiss as the ship began vibrating powerfully beneath them. The crewmen at the wheel gasped loudly as he fought to keep hold of the wheel, which thrummed powerfully in his grip. Asleep in his bed, Felix found himself being jerked awake, the cabin shaking violently around him. In his cabin, Steven Barkin was perched over several of the ships blueprints when he noticed his brandy glass vibrating across his desk and looked up in alarm when he heard the chandelier above him tinkling and shaking as well. Below, in the cargo hold, the two stewards screamed in alarm when the side of the ship literally buckled inwards, a deluge of water slamming into them and pinning them against a row of cargo as the hold flooded. Where Kim and Ron were, Ron grabbed Kim and pulled her bodily backwards as the huge berg loomed past them, several peaks of ice being smashed off by parts of the ship and raining down onto the deck, almost injuring several people. Seeing the berg passing the bridge, Du ran back into the wheelhouse.

"Hard a port!!" he screamed.

While the crewmen scrambled to comply, in a desperate bid to preserve the stern of the ship, Du ran over to a series of switches on the wall, pulling several. In the boiler rooms, which were now in a state of chaos as they began to flood, alarm bells began ringing, the watertight doors grinding loudly as they cycled downwards. Barrett's eyes went wide in alarm.

"They're closing the doors!" he yelled out over the din. "Get out lads! Move, move!!"

In the flooding boiler room the water level was already knee high and rising, the men's movements sluggish as they scrambled through the lowering door. Barrett waited as long as possible, seeing several of his men still making their way towards him as the doors almost reached the sealing point. Swearing loudly he plunged into the water, slipping through the gap at the last possible moment before it sealed. In the other boiler rooms, not yet flooded, most were able to scramble through in time, although numerous men were left trapped by the watertight doors, scrambling around in a blind panic for an alternate means of escape. On the bridge Officer Du watched in silent fascination as the indicator lights for the watertight doors lit up one by one, till the entire board was illuminated. His mind was reeling in a state of shock, knowing that the worlds most valuable ship had just been damaged and wondering how much of the blame for the incident would fall on him.

"Note the time" he said tensely. "And enter it in the ships log."

In the crow's nest, Jim watched the iceberg clear the back of the ship, gradually disappearing into the gloom once again. He turned and looked at his brother, clearly embarrassed.

"Oops?" he said lamely.

Tim grunted in annoyance and smacked him on the head.

"I knew you were full of it" he said testily, then after a moment added. "By the way, you owe me five dollars."

Captain Director arrived on the bridge, adjusting her uniform that had obviously been thrown on rather hastily.

"What's the situation Mr Du?" she demanded.

"An iceberg Captain" Du explained warily. "I put her hard a starboard and ran the engines full astern, but I'm afraid we were too close to avoid a collision and…"

"Bring the ship to a stop" the Captain ordered sharply, walking towards the bridge door. "And close the watertight doors."

"Already done sir" Du said as he made to follow.

Captain Director walked over to port railings nearest the bridge, leaning over and scanning back and forth along the hull for obvious signs of damage. As she turned away her eyes caught sight of the steerage deck below her, which was now covered in chunks of ice ranging in size from pebbles to small boulders. Her brow furrowed in concern.

"Find the carpenter at once and tell him to sound the ship!"

* * *

Felix sat up in bed, the room still subdued in darkness as he heard sounds of commotion coming from the corridor. Hearing it as well, his Swedish bunkmates awoke and jumped down from their own bunks, their feet making an alarming splashing sound as they hit the floor. In a panic one hit the light switch, revealing that the floor was covered in several inches of water, and seemed to be rising, albeit it very slowly. Without a word spoken between them they immediately threw on some clothing over their nightshirts and ran out of the room, leaving Felix behind. Felix swallowed loudly as he watched the water sloshing into the room, fearing what would happen if he were trapped below deck on a flooding ship, his inability to walk hindering his ability to escape. As though in answer to his prayers the door was flung open again, a haphazardly dressed Brick Flagg standing there and panting slightly. 

"Figured you might still be here" he said, grabbing Felix's wheelchair and helping the startled young man into it. He grabbed Felix's clothes from the edge of his bed and tossed them to him. "Hurry up and put those on."

Felix looked at Brick with a mixture of shock and gratitude, blinking away a tear as he quickly dressed himself.

"You came to help me?" he asked in disbelief. "Even knowing I might slow you down?"

"Course!" said Brick, as though it were a ridiculous question. "Don't think I'd abandon a mate now, do you?" He grabbed the handles of the chair and wheeled it towards the door. "Now lets find Stoppable and get the hell off this boat."

* * *

In one of the First Class corridors, Mr Barkin exited quickly from his room with several of the ships plans rolled up and clutched to his chest, brushing past a number of other passengers who were emerging from their staterooms dressed in robes and slippers. One woman spied a steward hurrying down the corridor and grabbed him by the arm to halt him. 

"Why have we stopped?" she demanded to know. "I felt a shudder run through the ship. Is there a problem?"

"I shouldn't worry about it ma'am" the man said reassuringly. "We've likely thrown a propeller blade. That would explain the shudder you felt. It's probably fine to return to bed."

In a nearby corridor Lord Fiske exited his own stateroom in a state of agitation, throwing a robe on over his pyjamas and heading towards the direction of the bridge. He passed several stewards as he went, each reassuring passengers that the situation was under control and coaxing them to return to their rooms. One was grabbed roughly by the arm by an irate Drew Lipsky, his female assistant standing like a bodyguard at his shoulder.

"Please sir" the steward insisted, expecting the same question he had gotten from everyone else. "There's no emergency…"

"Yes there is!" Drew stated angrily. "I've been robbed!"

"Fetch the Master at Arms at once" Miss Go demanded, growling and grabbing the unfortunate steward by the collar when she saw him hesitate. "NOW you little idiot!"

The steward trembled visibly at being manhandled by the obviously intimidating woman and scrambled to comply.

* * *

A number of steerage passengers had started an impromptu game of football, using several large chunks of ice as balls. Kim and Ron made their way across the well deck, climbing the ladder leading to B deck and passing through the gate dividing the steerage and Second class sections just as the Captain's inspection party rounded the corner, talking quickly as the made their way to the stairs. 

"Boiler room six is flooded eight feet above the plate and the mail hold is worse" said one of the men, the ships carpenter. "She's all buckled in on the forward hold."

"Can you shore up?" the Captain asked.

"Not unless the pumps get ahead" the carpenter said.

"How bad is the damage in the mail hold?" asked Barkin, who was bringing up the rear.

"We don't know sir, she's already underwater."

Not even sparing Ron and Kim the slightest look, the inspection party breezed past them, disappearing down the stairs. Ron turned to Kim, feeling a growing sense of dread.

"This sounds bad" he said in a low voice, anxious of being overheard.

"I know" said Kim, her face pale. "We need to tell my mother and Drew about this."

Ron let out a tiny sigh. "And a bad situation just got worse."

"I know, but I have to tell them" she said, her hand catching hold of his. "You'll come with me, right?"

Ron nodded. "No way I'm letting you out of my sight until this thing is resolved."

* * *

Drew paced impatiently in the sitting room of his suite, the Master at Arms and two stewards in the room with him, along with Ruth Possible. Seeing the Master at Arms holding up the drawing of Kim to the light and raising an admiring eyebrow, Drew scowled and stomped over, snatching it away from him. Out in the corridor Miss Go stood like a sentinel, her eyes scanning eagerly for her prey. The moment she saw Ron and Kim appear at the end of the corridor, walking towards her hand in hand, she grinned and stepped away from the wall, falling into step behind them. 

"It's about time you decided to come back" she said casually.

Moving with expertly timed stealth, Miss Go's hand shot out, slipping something into Ron's jacket pocket and quickly backing off before he had even felt a thing. Those waiting in the suite looked up as Kim and Ron entered, Drew glancing at his henchwoman, who sneakily winked in reply. Drew grinned.

"Something serious has happened…" Kim said calmly.

"You're right" said Drew, equally as calm. "Quite serious in fact. Two things important to me have gone missing this evening" He glanced at Kim. "Now that one of them has returned I'm fairly certain I know where to find the other one." He jabbed a finger at Ron. "Search him!"

Ron blinked in surprise as the stewards grabbed him and his coat was hastily removed, the stewards probing through the pockets. Kim glared at Drew in growing annoyance.

"Honestly!" she said with impatience. "We're in the middle of an emergency and you decide to pull a pathetic stunt like…"

Her voice caught in her throat as one of the stewards pulled the Heart of the Ocean necklace from one of the coats pockets, holding it up.

"Is this it sir?" the steward asked.

Kim stared in shock as the diamond was handed to Drew, her face turning paler as she turned to look at Ron, a mix of disbelief and betrayal playing across her face. Ron blanched himself, knowing he was being set up.

"Don't you believe this Kim!" he said desperately. "You know I wouldn't do something like this."

"He couldn't possibly have done this" Kim said, slightly unsure. "I was with him the whole time."

"Of course he could!" Drew said smugly. "Easy enough for a master thief like him. Besides…" He smirked and leaned in, whispering in Kim's ear. "He probably did it while you were putting your clothes back on."

Kim flushed slightly at this comment, Ron narrowing his eyes at Drew.

"You did this" he accused as his hand were cuffed behind his back. "You had it put in my pocket to frame me"

Miss Go smirked as she held up the coat Ron had been wearing, a label peeking out from the collar.

"Well its not exactly 'your pocket' now is it?" she said tauntingly. "Unless you changed your name recently."

The Master at Arms took the coat from her, reading the label for himself.

"This was reported stolen today" he confirmed.

Ron stared at the floor in shame for a moment, looking up at Kim with a pleading look.

"I only borrowed that. I needed it to see you. I was going to return it."

Drew laughed smugly. "Oh really? An honourable thief is it? How noble!" He frowned. "Take him away."

Ron struggled mightily as he was grabbed and dragged towards the door, digging his heels into the carpet.

"Kim don't listen to them!" he begged. "You know I wouldn't do something like this!"

Ron quickly lost his struggle with the stronger man, being dragged out of the room and down the corridor, Kim falling back against her mother, looking hopelessly confused and hurt. Her mother stroked her shoulders as Ron's voice began to fade into the distance.

"Please Kim! You know I'm innocent! You know me! Kim!!"

* * *

Captain Director and Mr Barkin rushed into the bridges chartroom, a number of the ships officers following behind them. Barkin unrolled a plan of the ship, a detailed side elevation that showed the interior compartments and the locations of the watertight bulkheads. Lord Fiske entered just in time to hear Barkin speak. 

"Water 14 feet above the keel in ten minutes?" he asked breathlessly. "In the forepeak... in all three holds... and in boiler room six?"

"That's correct" said one of the others.

"When can we get underway?" demanded Lord Fiske, eager to avoid a delay.

"That's five compartments!" Barkin exclaimed in alarm, sharing a look with the Captain. "She can stay afloat if the first four compartments were breached, or even torn away completely. But not five. As the bow descends the water will spill over the tops of the bulkheads at E deck" His hand moved down the diagram of the ship. "Back and back, one after another. And there's no way to stop it."

The captain went pale. "But surely the pumps…?"

Barkin shook his head sharply. "They won't help. They'll buy you minutes at most."

Lord Fiske pushed his way through to the front, looking incredulous.

"This is impossible!" he protested. "This ship can't sink."

"The laws of physics and the fact she's made of iron dictate otherwise" Barkin said firmly. "Titanic will founder. It is a mathematical certainty."

The captain drew a deep breath, her hand subconsciously rubbing at her eye patch.

"How much time do we have?" she asked quietly.

Barkin paused, doing the math in his head. "Around an hour. Two at the most."

"And how many aboard, Mr Du?" she asked.

"Two thousand, two hundred souls sir" Du said solemnly.

A ringing silence fell over the room as the grim reality of their situation washed over those present in the room. After a moment the Captains expression grew dark and she turned to face the ashen-faced head of the White Star Line.

"Well I do believe you may get your headlines after all Lord Fiske."

* * *

Kim stood in the middle of the sitting room, eyeing the floor warily. The moment Ruth left to change Drew strode over to her, glaring down at her silently for a moment before backhanding her sharply across the face, knocking her back a step. Kim gasped, more in shock than in pain, and glared back at him, her hand clutching her cheek. 

"I see now that I've been to lax in dealing with your wilful attitude" Drew said nastily, looming over her. "Maybe its time I beat some manners into…"

He was interrupted by a rap at the door, followed by a steward letting himself into the room.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Mr Lipsky" the man said. "But I have been asked to tell you to please put on your lifejackets and report to the boat deck at once."

Drew scowled coldly. "Can't you see that were busy? Get out!"

If the steward was the least bit put off by this rebuke, he didn't show it. The man proceeded to walk into the adjoining wardrobe, locating the stored lifejackets.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience sir" the man said apologetically. "But its Captains orders. Now I suggest you dress warmly as its rather cold out tonight."

The man noticed the uncomfortable expression on Kim's face as he handed her one of the jackets, assuming her tension was due to the problem with the ship. He smiled kindly at her.

"Don't worry miss. I'm sure its nothing more than a precaution"

* * *

In the wireless room the operator looked on in shock as the Captain hurriedly scribbled down the ships position on a piece of paper and handed it to him. 

"CQD sir?" the young man asked incredulously.

"Yes that's right" the captain calmly replied. "The distress call. Tell whoever responds that were going down by the head and require immediate assistance. And try using the new S.O.S call as well."

Without waiting for a reply the captain turned and exited from the room. The wireless operator stared at the spot the Captain had just vacated for several seconds, and then swallowing his fear, he turned his attention to his duty, sending out the worlds first S.O.S distress call, dit dit dit, dah dah dah, dit dit dit, over and over again.

* * *

A large number of seamen and officers were working furiously to uncover and lower the lifeboats into position for loading. A roaring sound filled the air as excess steam was being vented from the ships four funnels. A number of crewmen were clearly having difficulties, struggling with the unfamiliar davits and working to get the ropes loose. Mr Barkin arrived on the deck, looking around in unconcealed disgust at the obvious lack of proper training and preparing on the part of the crew. It was clear to see that no lifeboat drills had taken place aboard _this_ ship. He stopped himself and looked up and down the deck in concern. Only a handful of passengers were currently present on the boat deck, looking hesitant and unsure of themselves as they huddled together in the chilly night air. One couple even turned and retreated back into the ship as he watched. Spotting First Officer Du working nearby he rushed over, grabbing the man's arm. 

"Mr Du?" he asked loudly, struggling to be heard over the din. "Where are all the passengers?"

The officer shrugged. "Most of them have gone back inside. It's too damn cold and noisy for them."

Mr Barkin looked up and down the deck, cursing silently to himself. After glancing at his pocket watch he turned and strode away.

* * *

A large number of the First Class passengers had gathered together in the A deck foyer, standing around looking confused in their lifejackets. The sounds of upbeat music was floating through the doors of the nearby lounge, the ships band playing at the Captains order to keep the passengers calm. Among the passengers, looking rather annoyed, was Monique Brown. Spotting a steward scurrying towards the staircase the strong black woman grabbed him by the arm, preventing his escape. 

"Boy" she said, clearly agitated. "What the heck is going on around here? You got us all trussed up in these things" Her free hand picked at her lifejacket. "And then you leave us hanging around to cool our heels. Is there an emergency or aint there?"

"I'm sorry ma'am" the steward stammered. "Let me go and find out for you."

The steward broke free of her grip and fled up the stairs, stumbling as he went. Monique frowned, knowing that he probably wouldn't be back anytime soon, if at all. She turned to one of the nearest passengers, one hand cocked on her hip.

"I may be wrong, but I get the impression they're not telling us something."

Without noticing, Monique and the Possible party passed by each other, Drew leading Kim and her mother, with their two maids bringing up the rear. Of the group, only the maids were currently wearing lifejackets, Drew carrying his own jacket over his arm with disdain.

"These damn English" he spat in annoyance. "Always doing everything by the book."

"There's no need for harsh language Mr Lipsky" Ruth said lightly, accepting a jacket from one of the maids. "Go back to the rooms and turn on the heaters. I'll want a cup of tea once all this is over."

The two maids curtsied and departed, passing Mr Barkin as they went. The normally stern and strong looking man now looked stricken and completely at a loss. He looked around at the passengers with a haunted look in his eye. Kim, seeing this, walked quickly over to him and took hold of his arm.

"Mr Barkin" she said, keeping her voice low. "I saw the iceberg hit the ship, and I can tell from the look in your eyes. Please tell me the truth."

Mr Barkin hesitated for a moment, then nodded and led her off to the side, catching the attention of Drew, who moved closer to listen. Barkin's voice was quiet, but firm when he spoke.

"The ship is going to sink."

Kim swallowed audibly. "You're certain of this?"

Barkin nodded. "Yes. In an hour or so this ship will be at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean."

Drew stepped up beside them, the blue tint leaving his skin as he turned pale.

"What?" he asked, his voice dripping with disbelief.

"Please only tell those who you must" Barkin said, not looking away from Kim. "I don't want to be the one responsible for causing a panic" He gripped her by the shoulders, his gaze hardening. "Get on a lifeboat as soon as you can. Don't wait!" His voice became little more than a whisper. "You remember what we discussed about the lifeboats, don't you?"

"Yes" said Kim, trembling slightly. "I understand. Thank you Mr Barkin."

As she watched Mr Barkin walk away again, Kim clenched her hands into fists, fighting down her fear. Even though she now knew that the ship was doomed, her primary concern was not for her own life. The one who's safety concerned her most now was a certain blonde haired artist who had captured her heart.

* * *

At that moment Ron wasn't exactly in the safest of positions. He had just been cuffed to a water pipe in the Master at Arm's office. As the man checked to make sure the cuffs were securely fastened a crewmen burst into the room, looking breathless. 

"Your needed at the pursers office" he blurted out. "There's a huge mob up there!"

The Master at Arms turned, hesitating when he thought of leaving his prisoner unguarded. At that moment however an impressive looking pale-faced woman entered the room, Miss Go once again dressed in her masculine style outfit.

"Don't worry. I'll watch him for you" she said calmly.

The Master at Arms looked uncertain at this. "I don't think I should leave him under the sole supervision of a woman."

Miss Go scowled internally, but plastered a fake smile on her face, batting her eyelids playfully.

"Aw!" she purred. "Worried about little me? I'm sure it'll be fine. After all he's handcuffed to that pipe. He can't hurt me"

Miss Go grinned as the man blushed at her provocative tone, and quickly relented, handing her the keys to Ron's cuffs before running out of the room. Miss Go smirked and sat down on a chair opposite from Ron, who eyed her warily.

"Well" she said cheerily. "Just you and me now. However will we pass the time?"

* * *

Captain Director was making her way through the bridge when the wireless operator came up from behind her, clutching a piece of paper in his hand. 

"Sir!" he said, thrusting the page into the captain's hands. "We received word from the Carpathia. She's on her way here at 17 knots, that's full steam for them."

The Captain frowned as she scanned the page. "Has no other ship responded?"

"None that are close enough sir" replied the operator. "They say they can be here in four hours."

"FOUR HOURS?" the Captain exclaimed, startling the man. She forced herself to calm down. "Thank you."

The operator saluted and hurried away, leaving the Captain alone on the bridge again.

"My god" she whispered, her hand covering her mouth.

* * *

Second Officer Lightoller had finished supervising the preparation of the lifeboats he was in charge of, the boats now swung out and ready to take on passengers. The boat deck was now crowded with passengers, waiting anxiously for instructions. Lightoller spotted the Captain walking stiffly towards him, looking unaware of her surroundings He strode over to her, yelling into her ear through cupped hands in order to be heard over the ever-present din. 

"The boats are strung out and ready Captain!" he yelled, noticing the woman's lack of reaction. "Don't you think we should get the women and children into the boats?"

"Yes" muttered the captain softly, speaking up when she saw Lightoller struggle to hear. "Women and children first. Carry on Mr Lightoller"

Lightoller looked at her with uncertainty, but soon snapped into action, moving over to the crowd and motioning at them with his hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please!" he called out, struggling to be heard. "Come towards me! Yes that's right, this way please!" He was about to shout out his next instruction when a sudden silence fell, the last of the steam bleeding out through the funnels. Lightoller sighed in relief. "For the time being we will be requiring women and children only. Women and children, please move forward."

While the first boat was being loaded the ships band were setting up on the boat deck, the bandleader Wallace Hartley holding up his violin and getting ready to play.

"Alright boys, just like the Captain said. Keep it light and cheery to avoid a panic" he said. "Wedding dance!"

The band immediately set to playing, their music lively and calming as the passengers crowded around and waited anxiously for their turn to board a lifeboat.

* * *

The situation in the steerage section of the ship was far more chaotic, stewards and porters roughly pushing up and down corridors to hand out lifejackets, many of the foreign passengers struggling to follow the hurried instructions that were yelled at them. Felix snatched two jackets from a steward as Brick wheeled him towards the third class's main stairwell, finding a large crowd blocking the way. It soon became apparent what the source of delay was as the pair saw the closed steel gate blocking off access at the top of the stairs, a harried looking steward standing at the other side and arguing with several of the steerage passengers through the bars. 

"Stay calm!" the steward was yelling. "Its not time for you to go up to the boat deck yet. Please put your lifejackets on and allow the women and children through to the front!"

Felix and Brick shared knowing glances, Felix looking around in dread at the number of women and young children who were among the crowd, unable to proceed to safety.

"This is bad…" muttered Felix.

* * *

Boat number seven, under the supervision of First Officer Du, was being lowered into the water, only a little over half the seats taken by passengers. The crewmen were letting out the lines imperfectly, their movements jerky and unsure. As the boat was being lowered towards the water, the first of the Titanic's emergency flares was sent up, bursting white against the night sky and illuminating the area around the ship. Many of the passengers actually let out sounds of wonder at the sight, like people at a fireworks display might do. As lifeboat number seven began to move away from the ship, the passengers aboard noticed that the bow of the ship was now angled down towards the water, a number of the portholes now submerged and giving off an eerie greenish glow from below.

* * *

Still cuffed in the Master at Arms office, Ron stoppable stared out the nearest porthole in growing alarm, seeing the waterline lapping against the glass and slowly rising higher. Miss Go chuckled darkly as she watched him, taking a coin from her pocket and setting it on the desk beside her on its end, watching it roll away from her. Hearing the coin roll, Ron turned to look at her. 

"You know" Miss Go commented lightly. "I do believe that this ship may sink."

Rising smartly to her feet the menacing looking woman advanced on the rather defenceless Ron, her hands clasped behind her back. She grinned at him like a cat that had cornered the mouse, making him gulp.

"I was asked by my employer to give you this, as a token of his appreciation…"

Before Ron could ask what she meant, her fist suddenly shot out, slamming into his gut like a sledgehammer and knocking the wind out of him. As he crumpled to his knees, his bound hands being the only thing preventing him from falling completely, he stared up at her, his vision blurry. He gasped when he saw that both her hands were now burning brightly, lit by a glowing emerald green fire. Yet she showed no sign of pain or discomfort.

"Compliments of Mr Drew Lipsky" she said smugly.

Ron coughed in pain, not taking his eyes away from her burning hands.

"How…?" he croaked out.

Miss Go looked down, as if only now realising that her own hands were ablaze. With a lazy movement she waved her palms, the flames dying out and leaving her skin completely unblemished. If he hadn't been in such terrible pain from the sheer force of the blow, he would have been amazed by what he saw.

"Oh these?" she remarked lightly, holding up her hands. "Just a little talent of mine. You don't think I was hired _just_ for my good looks do you?" She sneered. "Well I must be going now. But before I do… I want to give you a little something personally from me."

Striking quickly, she grabbed Ron by the collar and pulled his face close, mashing her lips against his in a dominating kiss, her tongue roughly invading his mouth and her teeth clamping painfully down on his lower lip. The pale faced woman moaned in pleasure as Ron struggled beneath her lamely, much of the fight taken out of him by her punch. After a few more agonising moments she pulled away, her eyes sparkling and her tongue flicking across her lips.

"That's for proving that the spoiled little Princess was nothing more than a cheap whore after all." She laughed. "See ya stud. Hope you can hold your breath a long time."

With that she turned and walked out of the room, the key to Ron's cuffs tucked away securely in her pocket, her ringing laughter fading away into the distance as Ron was left to slowly recover from the assault, drawing in several shaky breaths.

* * *

Lightoller was in the process of loading the lifeboat nearest to where Kim and her mother were standing, Monique encouraging several hesitant women to get into the boat before taking a place there herself. Kim stood numbly near the side of the boat, watching as several couples gave teary farewells before the wives clambered into the boat. 

"I assume the boats will be seated according the class?" Ruth called out, not getting a response from the crewmen. "I do hope the boat won't be too crowded…"

Burning anger flared within Kim as she heard this remark and she rounded on her mother, shaking her roughly by the shoulders, scaring the older woman.

"Damn you mother!" Kim hissed. "Don't you understand what's happening here? The water is freezing cold and there are only enough boats for half the people aboard. At least half the people aboard this ship are going to die!"

Ruth Possible, to her lasting credit, had the decency to look and feel properly horrified at the prospect of so much life being lost, rich or not. Drew on the other hand merely sneered.

"Not the half that's worth a damn."

Kim immediately rounded on him, her eyes narrowing into slits as all the hatred and ill feelings she felt for the callous man before her boiled to the surface.

"You unimaginable bastard!" she hissed.

Drew merely huffed, disregarding her slander and helping Ruth into the boat. Monique sat the shaken Possible elder down beside her and then held out her hand for Kim.

"Your turn now darlin" she called out. "Come on now."

Kim stared at Monique and her mother, who were both now holding out a hand for her to join them. But in that moment Kim knew that she couldn't go. Her own words rang through her mind. Half the people aboard the ship were going to die, and Ron being a third class passenger had little chance of survival by himself. She had to save him.

"Kimberly Anne!" Ruth called out in alarm, seeing Kim stepping back from the boat. "Get in the boat now!"

Kim merely offered her a tiny smile. "Goodbye mother"

Ruth, unable to reach her daughter from her position aboard the lifeboat, could only yell out in protest as Kim turned and calmly began to walk away. She had gone only a half dozen paces however when Drew's strong hand grabbed hold of her arm, spinning her round.

"Are you insane?" he asked angrily. "Where do you think you're going? To that worthless buffoon? Is that what you really want? To be the whore to some steerage swine!"

Kim glared at him in open defiance. "I'd rather by his whore than your wife any day."

She turned to leave, but Drew held her firm.

"No!" he demanded, struggling with her. "I said NO!"

What happened next came so fast that almost nobody saw it happen. One moment Kim was struggling in Drew's grip, the next he was laying dazed on the deck, his upper lip split and Kim standing over him with her right hand balled into a powerful fist. With one final fleeting glance at the lifeboat containing Ruth and Monique, Kim turned and ran as fast as she could, disappearing into the crowd.

"Kimberly Anne!" her mother shrieked as the boat began to lower. "NO!!"

Monique on the other hand smiled slightly, suspecting what Kim was planning to do. She said a silent prayer that the young couple would get off the ship safely together.

"You go girl!" Monique whispered.

* * *

Ron struggled mightily against his restraints, the life returning to him as he recovered from the attack. The water line had now risen high above the portholes in the office, the lights from the ship illuminating the ocean outside. 

"Help!" he yelled out, his wrists chafing painfully as he struggled vainly against the cuffs. "Can anyone hear me?? Help me!"

His efforts were halted by the sound of sloshing water coming from behind him. Glancing round, Ron's fear began to escalate as he saw water seeping in rapidly through the gap under the door, spreading across the floor.

"Oh shit!" Ron bellowed, redoubling his efforts. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

* * *

Mr Barkin was in the process of checking staterooms, urging any passengers that were lingering to put on lifejackets and get to a boat as quickly as possible, when Kim ran up to him, looking breathless. 

"Mr Barkin! Thank god I've found you!" Kim panted. "Where would the Master at Arms take someone that was under arrest?"

The ship designer looked at her as though she was insane.

"What?" he asked. "You shouldn't be below deck! You need to get to a boat now!"

"No!" Kim said firmly. "I'm going to do this with or without your help. But without will take much longer."

Mr Barkin hesitated, but only for a moment, recognising the steely determination in her eyes.

"What you need to do is take the elevator to the very bottom, go left, down the crewmen's passage, then go right and left again at the stairs. You'll come to a long corridor…"

Minutes later, the long list of directions still looping over and over in her mind, Kim arrived at the elevators, the operator turning back several passengers and preparing to shut down the elevators. Kim pushed her way to the front, only to be halted by the operator.

"I'm sorry miss" the man said calmly. "But the lifts are closed."

A moment later the operator found himself grabbed and hurled bodily into the lift, an indignant Kim stepping in after him.

"I'm through taking no for an answer damn it!" she exclaimed, the operator cowering slightly. "Take me down! NOW!"

The operator shuddered but immediately complied, starting up the lift. Kim stood in complete silence as the elevator descended, watching the decks pass by. She suddenly felt herself letting out an involuntary scream as they reached E deck however, a deluge of water pouring in through the gate, the icy coldness serving as a shock to her system. Without hesitating for an instant Kim yanked open the gates, jumping out into the knee high water.

"What are you doing?!" demanded the operator. "Come back! I'm going back up! I'm going back up!!"

Kim didn't bother to look back as the panic stricken man reversed the elevator, rising up and out of view. Finding herself alone in a flooding hallway, Kim looked around quickly, her breathing loud and laboured in the freezing water. Seeing the corridor marked 'crew only' she took off, struggling through the rising water. As she was heading in the general direction of the aft end of the ship, the water became shallower the further she went. After taking several more turnings she suddenly found herself with two possible ways to go, and no clear recollection of which was the right one. To further complicate matters the lights flickered for several seconds, almost threatening to plunge Kim into darkness before steadying again.

"Ron!!" Kim called out desperately, turning from side to side. "RON!!!!!"

Not too far away, Ron was still struggling against his handcuffs when he suddenly heard Kim's voice calling from nearby. His heart soared in his chest as he realised she had come looking for him.

"KIM!!" he cried out, banging his cuffs against the water pipe to add to the noise. "I'M IN HERE KIM!!! KIM!!!"

Kim, who had been about to run along the section of the corridor that was not yet flooded, turned when she heard his voice coming from behind her. Running for all she's worth she soon located the right door, bursting through it. Letting out a yell of relief Kim rushed over to him, embracing and kissing him desperately.

"Ron! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she wailed, clinging to him.

"They set me up Kim" Ron tried to explain. "I think that crazy woman put the necklace in my pocket."

"I know!" Kim said, kissing him again. "I should never have believed them."

Ron smiled in relief, but quickly snapped back to reality when he saw the rising water level.

"Can you find the keys for these?" he asked, wiggling the cuffs for emphasis. "I think that harpy took them when she left, but there might be a spare set. It's a little silver key."

Kim nodded and hopped down from his embrace, opening the key cabinet and scanning through them. Seeing that ever key there was made of brass, she discarded them and moved over to the desk, searching through the drawers.

"Kim?" Ron asked, making her look up. "How did you find out I was innocent?"

"I didn't" Kim said without pause. "I just realized that unlike Drew, you would never lie to me. That's how I knew."

They both smiled, sharing a lingering and meaningful stare before Kim snapped herself out of it, continuing her search. It took her only a minute or so longer to practically tear the interior of the room apart, looking in every possible place where a key might be found and coming up empty.

"Its no use" she said. "There's no key!"

Ron, who had been forced to climb up onto a bench to keep his feet out of the two-foot deep water managed to swallow down his panic, forcing himself to stay calm.

"There's no way you'll be able to find Go in time to get the key from her" he said. "You need to go find some help."

Kim nodded and quickly rushed back to his side, clutching the back of his neck and planting a long deep kiss on his lips. Knowing time was a precious commodity she broke away much sooner than she would have liked to, her emerald eyes sparkling with fiery determination.

"I'll be back soon Ron" she said. "I swear it"

Ron nodded, knowing that she wouldn't abandon him there, no matter how desperate the situation became and watched her disappear through the doorway into the water filled corridor.

"I'll just… wait here then, ok?" he called out lamely.

* * *

At the exact moment Ron said those words, above them, the bow rail where Ron and Kim had shared their first magical kiss dipped below the surface of the water, a torrent of water spilling onto the forecastle deck. As it rapidly flooded another distress rocket went up, the burst of light illuminating the half dozen lifeboats moving steadily away from the ship, not a single one of them carrying a full load of passengers. Standing near the bridge, the Captain watched in silent horror as the water flooded onto the well deck below her, knowing that they were rapidly running out of time.

* * *

Kim struggled down the corridor, now waist deep in water, looking for anything or anyone that could help her. Spotting a nearby stairwell leading up to D deck, she clambered up it, relieved to be out of the water for the time being. 

"Hello?!" she called out at the top of her lungs. "Anybody?"

She looked around, feeling totally lost and isolated in the labyrinth like corridors of the Titanic, each looking the same as the last. She ran down several, coming across nobody and hearing almost nothing, save for the occasional groaning coming from the ships hull as it settled. She came to a halt at the junction point of several different corridors, looking around in a panic.

"Hello?!" she yelled out, getting desperate. "I need help here!"

Her cries were cut short as the hallways around her were suddenly plunged into darkness, the lights flickering out. Kim's breathing grew shallower and louder as she began to hyperventilate, images of her being lost and entombed within the doomed ship filling her minds eye. An eternity later, to Kim at least, the lights flickered back to life. In reality they had been out for less than ten seconds, but to the panic-stricken young woman it had seemed like a lifetime. She was about to cry out for help again when a steward suddenly rounded a corridor ahead of her, one arm bogged down with lifejackets as he rushed towards her, seeming annoyed that any passenger should be lingering in the area he was tasked to search. Without breaking his stride be grabbed her by the arm, dragging her along.

"You need to get topside at once miss!" he said firmly. "This way, I'll lead you!"

"Wait!" Kim protested, knowing he was leading her away from the stairwell that would take them back to Ron. "You need to help me! There's a man…"

"It's ok!" he interrupted, not really listening. "Stay calm Miss!"

"No!" Kim said, struggling harder. "We need to go back to help him! You're going the wrong way!"

"Miss please!" the steward insisted. "Try not to panic!"

"I'm not panicking!" Kim yelled. "It's you that's not LISTENING!"

She suddenly pulled backwards with all her might, breaking his grip. The instant the steward turned to retake his hold on her Kim's fist slammed into his face, knocking him back into the wall. He stared at her in shock, his nose clearly broken, blood flowing freely from it. His gaze hardened.

"The hell with you!"

The steward turned and disappeared around the nearest corner in a flash. Kim sagged against the wall in defeat. The one person she had come across had been too wrapped up in what he was doing to pay the slightest attention to what she had been asking of him. And now he was gone and clearly wasn't coming back. She sighed deeply, her unfocused eyes roaming about and settling on the fire fighting equipment opposite her. Her eyes widened.

"That'll work!"

A few minutes later Kim arrived back at the stairwell leading down to E deck, a hefty fire axe clutched in her hands. She gasped as she looked down, seeing the water level had risen significantly higher in the time she had been gone. Knowing that she had nowhere to go but down she gripped the axe tightly in one hand, plunging into the water and pulling herself along using the pipes above her to drag herself along. Feeling the dress coat she was wearing dragging behind her like a heavy weight she shrugged her way out of it, gradually working her way aft and increasing in pace as she moved into shallower waters. She soon arrived back at the Mater at Arms office, the water now almost halfway towards the ceiling. Her teeth chattering from the cold, she held up the axe for Ron to see. Nodding, Ron pulled the cuffs into the proper position, the chain stretched across the pipe with his hands as far out of the way as possible. Kim lifted the axe someway clumsily, preparing to swing.

"Umm…" said Ron, nervous. "Maybe you should take a couple of practise swings first?"

Kim nodded and turned towards the nearest cabinet, swinging the axe through the air as hard as she could, the blade imbedding itself with a dull thunk. Grunting slightly she pulled the blade free, holding it back up.

"Ok Kim" Ron said. "Now try to hit that same spot again."

Kim narrowed her eyes, concentrating as hard as she could on the spot she had hit and swinging again. The blade went wide however, hitting at least six inches shy of the intended mark. Kim looked back at Ron, abashed.

"Ok!" Ron said with a nervous laugh. "That's enough practise!"

Kim shuddered with nerves, but moved into position next to Ron, hefting the axe and getting ready to strike. Ron pulled his hands as far back as possible, keeping the chain taut. He saw the naked fear evident in Kim's eyes, her body language showing her reluctance to swing the axe for fear of injuring or even killing him.

"Kim" he said, locking eyes with her. "You can do this. I trust you."

Kim managed the tiniest of smiles and closed her eyes tight, bringing the axe down with all the force she could muster behind it. The axe landed with a loud clang on the pipe, Ron's hands instantly falling away to his sides. Kim fearfully opened her eyes in time to see Ron hold his hands up, the chain connecting the cuffs neatly severed down the middle. Their voices rang out in relief as they clung together.

"We need to get out of here!" Kim said the moment they broke apart.

Clutching tightly to each other's hands and struggling through the chest high water they moved back out into the corridor, Kim's eyes growing wide. The corridor leading to the stairwell she had used before was now almost completely flooded, the water a mere inch or two from the top.

"No use!" said Ron, pulling her away. "It's too flooded. We need to find another way up!"

* * *

Aboard lifeboat number six, Ruth Possible sat and stared, transfixed by the sight of the doomed liner nearby. The bowsprit had now completely disappeared underwater, the ship steadily descending towards the bow. Seated beside Ruth, Monique stared in silence, her usual lively demeanour subdued by what she was seeing. Even from a distance, a large number of passengers could be seen on the decks of the ship, gradually working their way aft. 

"Now that's something you don't see everyday" she said sombrely.

On the boat deck of the Titanic, the activity had now shifted to the aft section, First Officer Lightoller and Fifth Officer Lowe working to load three different boats at once, the pace more frantic than before. The boats were also now nearly full as they were lowered, many of the previously hesitant passengers now desperate to get off the ship. Everywhere people were crying hysterically, crewmen often having to physically wrest women away from their husbands and force them into the nearest boat, willing or not. Mr Barkin rushed up to Lightoller just as he grabbed the suitcase from one woman, discarding it and putting her into the lifeboat.

"Why are you launching these lifeboats half full?" Barkin demanded.

"Not now Mr Barkin" the officer replied heatedly. "I'm busy here!"

"There look!" Barkin insisted, grabbing the officer and making him look down at the water. "Twenty or so aboard a boat designed to hold sixty five! And I saw one boat leave with only twelve aboard! Twelve!"

Lightoller pulled free of his grip. "We were unsure of the weight. We were worried they may buckle…"

"Rubbish!" Barkin snarled, looming over him in full sergeant major mode. "These boats were tested off the shores of Belfast with the weight of seventy men! Now do your damn job and get these boats filled! To capacity for god's sake!"

Lightoller paled noticeably, but nodded in consent. As Mr Barkin hurried away the officer turned back to his duty, seeing that the number of remaining lifeboats on his side of the ship were rapidly diminishing, though the crowd before him remained huge in size.

"Please!" he yelled out. "I need more women here! All women and children move forward immediately!"

Not far off, Drew forced his way through the crowds, keeping his eyes open for signs of Kim. Ahead of him, Miss Go appeared through an isle connecting the port and starboard sides of the boat deck, and the two hurried to meet each other.

"I've looked all over" she said, leaning in close to be heard over the din of the panicked crowd. "She's not on the starboard side either."

"Damn it Shego!" Drew snarled, not bothering to conceal her codename in the midst of a crowd of people that weren't paying any attention to their conversation. "We're rapidly running out of time, and that jumped up idiot…" He motioned towards Lightoller. "Isn't letting any men on at all."

"There's one on the opposite side that is" She said. "That's our best bet for getting you off this tub."

Drew nodded sharply. "Right then. But we'll need a little insurance first. Come with me!"

Drew turned and hurried off into the crowd. Miss Go hesitated only for a moment, her eyes lingering on the boat Lightoller was loading, knowing full well that they would let her on without question, before turning and taking off after him.

* * *

Scotland Road, a wide passageway that ran the length of the ship and was mainly used by crew to get around the ship was currently bustling with steerage passengers, all moving steadily towards the aft end of the ship. A steward halted from his efforts to herd the passengers along faster when he noticed a nearby door shaking violently. He jerked back in alarm when the door burst open, a young couple falling through it. The steward stared at the ruined doorframe and hurried to catch up with the couple, Kim and Ron, who were now making their way down the passageway. 

"Hey you!" the steward yelled. "You'll have to pay for that you know! That's White Star Line property you…"

"**SHUT UP**!" snarled Ron and Kim in unison, rounding on the man.

The steward yelped like a whipped puppy and fell back. Without giving the annoying man a second glance Ron and Kim took off again, soon arriving at the stairwell where Felix was still waiting patiently, the crowd growing more agitated by the second. Seeing each other, the two quickly intercepted each other, Ron stooping down so they could embrace each other like brothers.

"Thank god you're here!" said Felix in relief. "I had no idea where to look for you!"

"Sorry buddy" Ron said. "Got a little tied up for a while. Where's Brick?"

Felix pointed to the top of the stairwell, where an irate looking Brick could still be spotted over the heads of the crowd, arguing with the men on the other side to let people through. With great reluctance one of the stewards opened the gate partway, motioning people forward.

"Women only!" the steward said loudly. "No men!"

His orders were followed, at least for the first minute, several women pushing their way through the crowd and through the gate. But the crowd, already agitated and frightened, and full of foreign passengers who hadn't understood the instructions, began to surge forward desperately, fighting tooth and nail to get through. The stewards pushed people back angrily, one of them locking the gate while another pulled out a small revolver, brandishing it wildly.

"Get back!" the man with the gun cried. "Get back or I'll fire!"

"For the love of god man!" yelled Brick, shaking the gate. "There are women and children down here! Open these gates or they wont have a chance!"

But the stewards were now too panicked to listen, the situation haven gotten completely out of control under their haphazard management and the crowd now seeming like a mad mob to them. Giving the man with the gun one final glare Brick turned and shoved his way back down the stairs, seeing Ron and Felix together.

"It's no good that way" he said angrily, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"We need to look for another way up" said Ron, keeping a tight grip on Kim's hand. "We saw the water. It's flooding fast. If we wait here much longer were dead."

Knowing that they would have a hard enough time saving themselves, let another anyone else, the quartet turned and quickly made their way away from the stairwell, Kim casting one final fleeting look back at the surging crowd still battling to get through the gate before they turned around a corner and it was lost from sight. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she ran hand in hand with Ron, Brick and Felix bringing up the rear, knowing that most of those unfortunate people wouldn't live out the next few hours, let alone the rest of the night.

* * *

Drew yanked open his safe and reached inside, taking out several handfuls of cash wrapped together by bank wrappers. He pocketed these, along with the Heart of the Ocean necklace, turning towards the sitting room door with a grin, where Miss Go was waiting. 

"Like I said before Shego" he said smugly, slamming the safe shut and relocking it. "I make my own luck."

His assistant grinned and flared up her hands, clenching her fists powerfully.

"That makes two of us" she replied.

Grinning at each other the two would-be world conquerors turned and exited the room, the door slamming loudly behind them.

* * *

Ron and his companions had gotten themselves completely lost, roaming through the congested corridors in search of a way to get up on deck. They were forced to push their way past a myriad of confused and distressed passengers, many of them rooted to the spot in despair, while others held up translation books and tried to interpret the signposts in the hallways. Ron spied a narrow stairwell leading up, and with Brick's help, hefted Felix's chair up to the top. They found themselves confronted with yet another locked gate, a relatively small crowd pressing against it and arguing to get through. 

"Just go back to the main stairwell!" the steward on the other side kept repeating. "Go back to the main stairwell and everything will be sorted out there!"

Ron growled angrily, knowing they couldn't risk searching for yet another potential way out. Sighting a nearby bench bolted to the floor he ran over to it, pulling at one end. Seeing what he had in mind Brick grabbed the other end, their combined efforts wrenching the bench free of its restraints. Kim pushed her way forward, urging the crowd to part and make way for Ron and Brick, several of the steerage men moving to help them.

"Hey stop that!" called the steward, backing away. "Put that down!"

In response the men charged, using the bench like a battering ram and slamming into the gate hard. The gate shook violently but held firm. It took several more solid blows before the gate was knocked off its hinges, the crowd surging forward and past the steward, who made an effort to try and stop them.

"Stop!" he demanded. "You can't come through this way! You cant…OOF!"

A solid fist connecting with his face silenced the man, knocking him down and out. Brick cracked his knuckles together in satisfaction and nodded his head at the others, motioning for them to follow him.

* * *

The situation on the boat deck was rapidly descending towards total chaos, a large number of passengers from all three classes now swarming towards the aft end, where the last few precious lifeboats at that end were being filled. Many of the officers were forced to repeatedly force or beat back desperate men and women who were struggling to board the boats, even as they were being lowered into the water fully loaded. First Officer Du, his own boats now departed, arrived on the scene where Lightoller and Lowe were working, rolling his eyes in disgust at the sight of such disorder and pushing his way over to his fellow officers. 

"Honestly Mr Lightoller!" he said self-importantly. "Can you not keep order aboard this ship? Must I, the greatest officer in the fleet, do everything?"

Before a rather indignant Lightoller could reply, Du spun around, brandishing a revolver with deadly calm at the crowd, which promptly fell back in fear.

"Keep order here!" he commanded imperiously. "Keep order I say! Try to rush the boats again and I will shoot you down like dogs!"

Turning his back to the crowd he opened the revolver to reveal that the gun had no bullets in the chambers. As the other officers watched he calmly reached into his pocket and loaded the gun steadily, one bullet at a time. Second Officer Lightoller frowned at him, turning to Lowe.

"Mr Lowe, you take command of this boat."

Fifth Officer Lowe jerked in surprise, but hastily nodded and stepped into the boat, trying to reassure the passengers he was now responsible for. As the boat was lowered the crowd began to panic anew, seeing one of their final chances for survival literally pulling away from them. Lowe brandished his own pistol fearfully as the lifeboat was lowered past one of the lower decks, a throng of steerage passengers trying to force their way into the boat. He turned his pistol away from the crowd, shooting into the air several times.

"Stay back!!" he yelled.

Drew and Miss Go had arrived on the boat deck just in time to see Du's last lifeboat touch down on the water and move away from the ship.

"Damn!" exclaimed Drew. "We're too late!"

The sound of gunfire came drifting towards them from the other side of the ship, the air alive with the sound of shouting, screaming, and incredibly, music that the ships band was still playing.

"Things are starting to fall apart" Drew said grimly. "We're almost out of time."

Miss Go spotted the ships First Officer moving through the crowd, heading towards the front of the ship. She grabbed Drew by the arm and pulled him along, not wanting to lose sight of the man.

"Him!" she said, pointing him out. "First Officer Du! There are still a few boats left at the front. We need to keep close to him. He seems like the… practical type"

Drew nodded and rushed forward, quickly catching up with Du and falling into stride beside him.

"Mr Du" Drew said, getting the officers attention. "I am a businessman, as you well know. And I believe I have a business proposition that you will be interested in."

* * *

Back at the aft end of the boat deck Kim was emerging through a doorway, Ron and the others coming up quickly behind her. Running to the railing Kim looked up the length of the ship, seeing no lifeboats remaining. 

"We're too late!" she said in alarm. "The boats are gone!"

Turning, she spotted Colonel Demenz among the crowd, escorting two First Class ladies. Kim quickly intercepted the elderly gentleman, the others flanking her.

"Colonel, do you know if there are any boats left?" Kim asked.

"Ah Miss Possible" he said, recognizing her. "I believe there are still a couple all the way forward. This way, I'll lead you."

But Kim had already taken off down the boat deck, clutching tightly to Ron's hand, Brick and Felix not far behind. As they ran Ron accidentally jostled Wallace Hartley, the ships band still playing. The bandleader frowned slightly but played on, the song they were performing coming to an end.

"What's the point?" said the band member holding a cello. "Nobody's listening to us anymore."

"Well they barely listen to us at dinner either" said Wallace, shrugging. "Come on, let's keep playing. It'll keep us warm" He held his violin at the ready. "Ready? Orpheus!"

Hearing the music as he ran, Brick looked back over his shoulder, laughing incredulously.

"Music to drown by?" he asked in disbelief. "Now I know we're in First Class!"

* * *

At the front end of the ship the collapsible boats had been placed onto the davits and were being loaded with passengers, one on each side of the ship. The water level was now a mere twenty feet below them, a torrent of water flooding into B deck. The number of passengers present was relatively small, most of them still lingering at the aft sections. On the port side Second Officer Lightoller was in charge of loading the boat, while First Officer Du was in the charge of the one on the starboard side. Officer Du was loading his boat with all the woman and children he could find, a rather shaken looking Lord Fiske attempting to help. When Du stepped back from helping a woman into the boat he turned sharply, feeling a hand slipping several bundles of money into his pocket. The hand belonged to Drew, who smirked. 

"We have an understanding between us, do we not?" Drew asked.

Du frowned slightly, but gave a curt nod. Satisfied that he had secured his passage to safety Drew backed off and waited for the proper moment to act. Meanwhile, not far off, Ron and Kim had arrived at the other collapsible boat, finding a modest sized crowd already waiting ahead of them, and many of the available seats already taken up. Lightoller and another officer with him were both brandishing pistols, keeping the passengers at bay.

"Women and children to the front!" Lightoller shouted, pushing several men back. "Women and children only! Keep back sir!"

Ron shook his head and stepped back to where Brick and Felix were waiting, keeping his voice low so Kim wouldn't hear.

"You two check the other side. I'm getting Kim into this boat"

Brick nodded and Ron and Felix clasped hands for a moment before they took off towards the starboard side. Ron grabbed Kim by the shoulders and began to force his way through the crowd towards the boat. Unseen by them, Miss Go narrowed her eyes and quickly navigated her way around the wheelhouse, passing a crewman who was setting up another emergency rocket and locating Drew, speaking into his ear.

"I found her" she said, her voice low. "She's on the other side, waiting to get on a boat, with the buffoon."

Du helped the last woman waiting nearby into the lifeboat and then looked around desperately, a number of spaces still available.

"Any more women and children?" he called out. After several moments it became apparent that the bulk of the remaining passengers were too far aft to have even heard him. "Alright then, anyone else?"

Du stared at Drew expectantly as a number of male passengers rushed forward at the chance to save themselves. But Drew remained motionless, eyeing the boat hungrily for several long seconds before turning away.

"Damn it to hell!" he grated. "Come on!"

Drew rushed off, cutting through the bridge. Miss Go stared after him in open disbelief, turning to eye the lifeboat for herself. Officer Du spotted her and held out a hand expectantly.

"Madam please!" he said. "Get into the boat. We can't wait any longer!"

Miss Go took a single step forward, but then swallowed and shook her head, turning and taking off after her employer. Du watched her go and then shrugged.

"Right then!" he said, holding out his hands. "Lower…"

He stopped short as he saw Lord Fiske suddenly step forward and into the boat. The White Star director stood stock still in the middle of the boat, shaking like a leaf. He refused to meet the officer's eye as he slowly sat down. Du glared, but held his hands up again.

"Lower away!!"

Lightoller had almost finished loading his boat by now, having just helped a woman and her two small daughters into it. Kim watched the older woman numbly, one of her children clinging to her desperately, the other seeming desperate to get away and back to her father, who was standing next to the boat.

"Daddy!" the girl called out, fighting against her mothers grip.

"Its ok darling!" the man said reassuringly. "Be a good girl and stay with mummy! We'll see each other in a little while! There's a separate boat for the daddies. This is the boat for the mummies and the children."

Kim couldn't help but admire his courage. There wasn't the slightest tremor in his voice as he spoke and he was even smiling as he blew his daughters kisses. Kim turned to Ron, feeling him push her towards the boat.

"Ron!" she said, half pleading. "I'm not getting in a boat without you!"

"Yes you are Kim!" Ron said firmly.

"No!" Kim wailed.

Ron's tone became firmer still. "Kim! Get in the boat now!"

"Yes Kimberly Anne!" said another voice. "Get in the boat at once!"

Drew barged his way in beside them, looking annoyed. Kim stared at him in shock, instinctively taking a step closer to Ron. Drew noticed this but hastily disregarded it, shrugging out of his coat and placing it over her shoulders.

"Here" he said. "Wear this. You look freezing!"

"Ladies, quickly please!" called Lightoller, seeing how close the water level was to them. "For the love of god, hurry!"

"Go on!" Ron insisted, nudging her towards the boat. "I'll get the next one."

"Ron there might not be a next one!" Kim said, digging in her heels.

Drew watched this exchange silently, but at these words he smiled grimly and cleared his throat.

"I have an arrangement with an officer on the other side of the ship" he said silkily. "The buff… I mean _Ron_ and I can both get off the ship that way… together."

Ron raised a sceptical eyebrow at this comment, but almost instantly suppressed it, favourite Kim with a winning smile.

"See?" he said happily. "I have my own boat to get to. We'll see each other again soon."

Kim was still unsure, but failed to protest further when Lightoller grabbed her arm, putting her into the boat. Her hand shot out and clutched to Ron's for several seconds, before a crewman yanked his arm back out of the way. Kim sank down onto the seat, having taken the last available spot aboard the lifeboat.

"Alright!" said Lightoller. "Lower away!"

Standing from the deck, Ron and Drew watched as the boat slowly began to descend towards the water. Drew smirked and glanced sidelong at Ron, who had locked eyes with Kim in an effort to burn this last precious moment into his memory.

"You're a good liar." Drew said jovially.

"Almost as good as you" Ron said blandly, not looking away. "Pretty convincing little story you made up."

"Oh that part was true" Drew said snidely. "Not that you'll benefit from it."

They both turned and stared at each other, a cold gleam in Drew's eyes.

"I always win Ron. One way or another."

Ron sighed heavily and turned away, the grim reality of his situation washing over him as he once again locked eyes with Kim. He managed to smile warmly down at her, grateful that he had managed to save her, even if he couldn't find a way to save himself. Sitting in the lifeboat, Kim stared back at him, tears welling in her eyes. She watched the scene play out around her as though in slow motion, feeling strangely detached. She glanced at the woman and her two daughters clinging together in tears, staring up at the deck. Her eyes locked with Ron's, seeing the whirlwind of emotions rushing through him. The cold smugness was evident in Drew's eyes as he looked down at her, and she knew, without any shadow of a doubt, that he would never help Ron survive. Seen from her point of view, a distress rocket exploded in the air behind Ron, illuminating him like some sort of heavenly angel. Without even realising she was doing it Kim suddenly jumped to her feet, rushing to the side of the boat and leaping through the air, grabbing onto the A deck promenade railing and scrambling over it.

"NO!!" shrieked Ron in alarm. "KIM!!"

"Stop her!" Drew commanded loudly. "Stop her!!"

But the boat continued lowering regardless of Kim's actions. Kim didn't even glance back as she took off at a break neck speed along the deck, Ron running along the boat deck above her. Shoving people aside Ron ran flat out through a doorway into the A deck foyer, almost colliding with Kim at the bottom of the stairs. They embraced desperately, Ron speaking frantically, kissing her at each pause.

"Kim how could you do that? You're so stupid! Why did you do that? WHY?"

Kim clutched at his cheeks, kissing him back.

"You jump, I jump, right?"

Laughing with a mixture of happiness and despair they clung together, whispering reassurances to one another. Standing by the railing above, Drew stared down at them coldly, his hands clenched into fists and his pale blue skin darkening alarmingly. Miss Go appeared at his back, taking hold of his arm.

"She's made her choice" she said calmly. "It's time to leave."

Drew allowed himself to be pulled along by Miss Go for a moment before he suddenly snapped, breaking free of her grip and pulling out his revolver. Letting out a roar of fury he ran to the edge of the stairs, bringing the gun to bare and firing. Kim and Ron screamed as the carved wooden cherub at the foot of the railing next to them exploded, Ron looking up in time to see Drew running towards him, aiming as he went.

"RUN!" Ron bellowed.

Kim and Ron took off, running down the stairs deck by deck, a bullet impacting the floor where they had just been standing. Drew snarled savagely and knocked people roughly aside as he pursued them, firing every time they came into his line of fire. Once he almost had Kim directly in his sights, a shot that would have been impossible to miss if he hadn't slipped on a discarded handbag, the shot going wide as he sprawled. Kim and Ron leapt the final few steps to the D deck reception room, a bullet kicking up a spray in the knee-deep water. As they charged through the doors leading into the dining saloon Drew appeared at the bottom of the stairs, firing once more before his gun clicked empty.

"Curse you Kim Possible!" he screeched, throwing his hands into the air. "You think you're all that, but you're not!!!"

Drew stared in fury as Kim and Ron disappeared through the other side of the dining room, once again on dry footing as they headed aft. Snapping back to reality Drew looked down, seeming to only now realise that he was standing waist deep in freezing cold water, water that was steadily rising. As Miss Go arrived at foot of the stairs he suddenly burst out in hysterical laughter, the gun dropping from his hand.

"What could possibly be so funny at a time like this?" she demanded.

"Don't you see Shego?" he asked, still laughing. "I put that damn diamond in my coat… AND I PUT THE COAT ON HER!"

His laughter gradually petered out, his eyes twinkling with murderous intent.

"Go and kill them both, and you can keep the diamond for yourself."

Miss Go stared after him as he took off back up the stairs, thinking it over for a moment. Then with a feral growl she ignited her hands and plunged into the rising water, taking off in pursuit of Kim and Ron.

* * *

Kim and Ron had run pell-mell through the dining room, the ship groaning loudly around them and the lights flickering dangerously as the room flooded. Passing through the galley they came to a stairwell, leading both up and down. The sound of rushing water was almost deafening as it poured down the stairs into the lower deck. 

"Listen!" Kim said urgently. "What's that?"

Coming from behind then was the unmistakable sound of someone running towards them, kicking up waves as they moved. Placing a finger to her lips, Kim grabbed Ron and pulled him down the stairs and out of sight. Moments later a damp and shivering Miss Go arrived at the stairwell, her hands held in a ready combat stance. She glanced at the descending stairs for a fleeting moment, but quickly decided against it, naturally assuming that only a madman would head down when fleeing a sinking ship. Crouching silently on the landing below, Kim and Ron listened to the sound of footfalls charging up the stairs leading away from them, not daring to move until they faded into the distance. Ron opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when a wailing sound filled their ears. Kim gasped in alarm, spotting a young boy standing at the end of the corridor ahead of them, crying out in Russian for his father, the ankle deep water sloshing past him in a torrent.

"We have to help him!" Kim said.

Ron had already begun to move, running to the terrified child and scooping him up into his arms. He stopped short as he reached for the thick double doors at the end of the hallway, seeing water seeping through the gaps from floor to ceiling level. The door was groaning loudly, threatening to give way at any moment. Turning on his heel Ron turned and took off back down the corridor, catching Kim by the hand and running towards the other end. The staircase they had taken however was now flooding heavily, an impassable deluge of water pouring down upon them.

"No good!" said Ron. "We need to find another way!"

Turning back they began to run towards one of the side corridors when a bearded man appeared, coming the other way. Seeing the child in Ron's arms he swore loudly, snatching the boy away and taking off down the corridor, a suitcase clutched in one arm and his son in the other. Ron yelled in alarm, seeing that the man was running right towards the double doors at the end of the hall, heedless of the danger.

"COME BACK!" Ron yelled. "DON'T GO THAT WAY!"

But it was too late. Right as the man reached the doors they suddenly flew open, a massive wave crashing into him swallowing him up instantly. Kim and Ron took off down the side corridor, the huge wave crashing along behind them, catching up on them. In seconds it overtakes them, knocking them off their feet and carrying them along at a tremendous speed. Ron barely had time to spot another stairwell leading up before he was swept past it, halted seconds later by being slammed into a locked gate. Coughing and fighting against the fast flowing current, the pair fought their way towards the stairwell, the lights sparking and dying all around them. The water was rising fast now, already neck deep by the time they reached the stairs, climbing them only to be confronted by yet another locked gate. They looked back down the stairwell, only to see that the corridor below was now completely flooded, the water rising swiftly towards them.

"Oh god!" wailed Kim, shaking the bars in a futile attempt to open them.

As the water began pouring past their ankles and onto the next deck a frantic looking steward rushed along the corridor, not seeing them as he began climbing the next set of stairs leading up.

"WAIT!" cried Ron. "Unlock the gate!"

"Help us!" cried Kim. "Please help us!"

The steward froze in place, staring back at them. He took one step further up the stairs before steeling himself, jumping back down.

"Jesus Christ!" he said.

Fumbling with a set of keys the man began frantically working at the lock, the water rising faster by the second. The steward was clearly terrified, his hands shaking as he tried one key after another. As the water reached waist height, the light fixture behind him blew out, the keys falling out of his hands and into the water in his fright.

"I'm sorry!" he said. "I dropped the keys! I'm sorry!!"

"Wait!" called out Kim as the steward turned and bolted up the stairs. "Come back!"

Ron sucked in a lungful of air and plunged under the water, the wildly sparking lights and rushing water making it very difficult to see anything. Groping around in the space under the gate, he felt around for the keys. His lungs screaming at him for air, he finally found them, his hand grasping hold of the cold metal as he kicked back to the surface, gasping for breath. He held up the keys for Kim to see.

"I got the keys!" he gasped. "Which one is it?"

Kim barely took a moment to look over the keys, knowing they had time to try one key at most before they were done for.

"That little sharp one!" she said, pointing. "Try that one!"

Ron reached down and prodded the key into the lock, struggling to turn it as the water churned up around their necks, the sparking lights now providing the only illumination.

"Hurry Ron!" Kim said, spitting out a mouthful of water. "Hurry!"

Ron took another deep breath and closed his eyes as the water level rose over his head, still working frantically on the lock. With a final desperate twist the key turned in the lock, the force of the water propelling them forward as the gate parted. With the water level practically hitting the ceiling they clambered up the stairwell the steward had taken and hurried along the next deck.

* * *

The situation on the boat deck had now descended into complete chaos, the water pouring onto the promenade deck below. Amazingly the sound of music came floating across the deck, mingled in with the screaming, indicating that the ships band was still playing. First Officer Du and a number of other seamen were working to lower the last two remaining collapsible boats from the roof of the officer's quarters, using oars to form a ramp. The weight of the boat proved to be too strong however, the oars snapping and the boat crashing to the deck, almost hitting Felix and Brick, who were waiting nearby. Not far off, Drew emerged through a doorway, looking wild eyed and desperate as he ploughed his way through the remaining crowd. Halted by a wall of bodies in front of him, he turned his head towards a sound coming from nearby. Standing alone in an alcove was a small girl, no older than two or three years old, her small cheeks stained with tears. Drew stared at the child for only a few moments before turning away, forcing his way towards the boat. Ahead of him, Brick was arguing animatedly with Du, his face flushed. 

"You stuck up limey bastard!" he snarled. "Give us a chance to live!"

"Keep back!" Du snapped, brandishing his gun. "I'll shoot any man who tries to get past me. Keep back I say!"

Drew pushed his way roughly to the front of the crowd, standing shoulder to shoulder with Brick. He leaned forward slightly, mindful of the gun that was pointing at him.

"We had an understanding, did we not?" he snapped.

Officer Du frowned darkly and pulled the wads of cash out of his pocket, throwing them roughly into Drew's face, the falling notes being ignored as they fluttered to the deck.

"Did you really think" spat Du "that the finest officer in the White Star fleet could be _bought_? You're money wont save you anymore than it'll save me!"

Holding tight to his gun he shoved Drew back, calling out for women and children to move forward. A blur of motion caught his eye, a lone man climbing onto the nearby davit in an attempt to reach the boat. As he aimed and fired his gun, knocking the man back again, Brick was jostled roughly from behind, knocking him forward. Sensing his approach Du spun sharply and fired again, hitting Brick square in the chest. Brick stared in shock for several seconds before his eyes rolled backwards and he crashed to the deck. Felix cried out in dismay, pulling the lifeless young man into his lap, a pool of blood flowing from the gaping wound. He stared at Du with unconcealed hatred.

"You bastard!" he screamed. "How could you do that?!"

First Officer William Du stared at the scene in front of him numbly, the smoking gun held limply in his hand. Even though he had just taken a life, and was stuck aboard a sinking ship, there was only one thought on his mind now. Even if he somehow survived this disaster the White Star Line would soon hear about him gunning down defenceless passengers. His chances of winning his own command were now as dead as the man he had just shot. There was only one sure course of action now. A nearby officer gasped in shock as he saw Du salute him smartly and then raise his gun to his temple.

"No Will!" the officer yelled.

The sharp retort of the gunshot rang out clearly in the night air, Du's lifeless body toppling backwards over the railing and disappearing with a splash. The officer turned away, having no time to grieve for his dead colleague.

"Step back damn it!" he commanded, holding his own gun. "Any women and children please move forward immediately!"

Drew, who had ran off the second Du had shot himself, now returned, carrying the weeping child in his arms. He cradled her close to his body, as though it was his own daughter. He rushed up to the remaining officer, plastering a pleading look on his face.

"Please!" he begged. "You have to let me on the boat. Her mother's dead. I'm all the family she has in the world!"

The officer nodded and let him through. Drew immediately got into the lifeboat, keeping a tight grip on the child as he sat down, looking around warily.

"There, there" he said, trying to sound comforting. "It'll be ok."

* * *

Kim and Ron ran through the First Class smoking room, items falling onto the floor from the tables around them as the ship tilted further and further towards the bow. Kim ground to a halt as she caught sight of Mr Barkin standing by the fireplace, a roaring fire still burning. His lifebelt was off, lying discarded on a nearby table. 

"Mr Barkin?" she asked hesitantly.

The once stern man turned mechanically, all the fire taken out of him. His eyes came back into focus, recognizing the young woman in front of him.

"Oh, Miss Possible" he said quietly. "You're still here?"

Kim saw the defeated look in his eyes. "Won't you even make a try for it?"

Barkin merely shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't build a stronger ship for you Kimberly Anne" he said sadly. "Maybe if I had tried harder, they would have listened to me…"

"Its going fast" Ron said, grabbing Kim's hand. "We have to keep moving."

"Wait!" said Barkin, snatching up his lifejacket and pressing it into Kim's hands. "Good luck to you Miss Possible. Good luck to both of you."

Kim nodded and threw her hands around the older man, her cheek pressed against his as she embraced him.

"And to you as well Mr Barkin" she said softly.

Turning away Kim and Ron ran on, passing through the revolving door and onwards through the ship. Mr Barkin watched them go sadly and then turned back towards the fireplace with a sigh.

* * *

Near the top of the grand staircase Senor Senior Sr, a retired multimillionaire stood with his much taller and muscular son, Senor Senior Jr. Both were resplendent in immaculately tailored suits, their tanned skin standing out among the pale and frightened passengers hurrying up the stairs around them. 

"Mr Senior" a steward said, rushing up with two lifejackets in hand. "These are for you sir."

"No thank you young man" said Senior Sr. "We have dressed in our finest and are prepared to go down like gentlemen" He called after the steward as he ran on. "Although I could do with a brandy."

"Father!" his son wailed, clinging to his arm. "I'm scared."

"There, there Junior" said the older man, patting his son's hand. "It'll all be over soon."

"I know!" wailed Junior. "That's what scares me!"

Senor Senior Sr sighed. "Junior, please. I'm trying to die with some dignity here."

* * *

Captain Director stood just outside the bridge, watching Lightoller and a number of other seamen struggling to overturn the last remaining collapsible boat, which had landed upside down when it had been dropped from the officers quarters roof. Turning away she caught sight of water beginning to spill onto the boat deck at the bow end and sighed in resignation. A hand tugging at her arm brought her out of her stupor, a pale faced Polish woman looking at her expectantly. The Captain was horrified to see she was clutching a baby to her with her free arm. 

"Captain?" the woman asked, her accent thick. "Where should I go? Please!"

The Captain merely stared at her in horror for several seconds and then shook her head apologetically, turning away. She had only gone a few paces before a member of the crew ran up to her, holding out a lifejacket.

"Captain!" he said breathlessly. "You should put one of these on sir." He motioned behind him. "There's still one boat left Captain ….you could… being a woman after all…"

The Captain frowned, seeming to look right through him as she walked on, ignoring the proffered jacket. Turning into the bridge, which was now flooding, she calmly walked into the wheelhouse, closing the door behind her. Further aft, the ships band finished playing their final waltz, looking up and down the deck, a stream of people now running further aft as fast as they could, others throwing deck chairs and other debris into the water to use as floatation devices. Wallace Hartley lowered his violin and swallowed quietly.

"Alright" he said. "That's it then. Good luck lads"

Shaking hands with each other, the band members began to take off in different directions, still clutching to their instruments. Watching them go, Hartley turned and again lifted his violin, playing the opening notes of Nearer My God to Thee. Hearing this, the band members turned back, and one by one retook their places beside the man, joining in.

While they played many things happened at once. Standing in the wheelhouse the Captain walked over to the ships wheel, holding onto it as the water level rose rapidly over the windows in front of her, the bridge flooding quickly, more water leaking in through the gaps under the doors. With a final sigh she reached up and yanked off her eye patch, tossing it aside. In the smoking room, Mr Barkin remained standing by the fireplace, checking his pocket watch and adjusting the time on the clock on the mantelpiece to 2.12am before bowing his head in defeat. In a steerage cabin several decks below, a mother stroked the cheeks of her two young children curled up together in a bunk, singing softly to them as they fell asleep. Above deck, Drew watched in horror as the water rushed along the deck towards him, collapsible boat B still attached to its falls, seamen working furiously to free the ropes before the boat was pulled under.

"There's no time!" one sailor cried. "Cut the ropes! Cut them!!"

"I need a knife!" another called out. "Someone give me a knife!!"

On the other side of the ship, men worked furiously to cut the overturned boat free from its restraints, Felix slipping out of his chair and paddled with his arms as the water overtook him. At the top of the grand staircase the Seniors clung together silently as the water came roaring upwards towards them, men and women swimming furiously to keep above water. Wallace Hartley, playing the last few notes of music, lowered his violin, the fast rising water now feet away from where the band was playing.

"Gentlemen" he said solemnly. "It has been my honour to have played with you tonight."

In the wheelhouse, completely underwater, the Captain let out a deep breath and closed her eye as the windows began groaning loudly. An instant later the glass panes all shattered as one, a torrent of water flooding into the room. The Captain was slammed to the floor and almost instantly vanished under a wall of foam.

* * *

Kim and Ron emerged through the door to the Palm Court restaurant; Kim now wearing the lifejacket Mr Barkin had given her. Running to the railings they looked along the length of the ship, seeing the bridge was now underwater and the water level raising towards the base of the first of the ships funnels. 

"We need to stay on the ship for as long as possible!" Ron shouted, watching as several people jumped into the water around them. "Come on!"

Hand in hand, they worked their way steadily aft, their progress becoming literally an uphill climb as the stern rose higher in the air by the minute. Finding the stairs to be virtually impassable due to the crowds, they lowered themselves over the B deck railings, fighting their way along the well deck. The large clock near the top of the grand staircase read 2.15am as the water swiftly rose above it, many of the windows caving in and sucking unfortunate passengers back into the ship as water poured through. Felix, swimming nearby, barely managed to save himself from that fate, his hands gripping tightly to the frame until the water level rose and the suction stopped. Panting heavily he pushed himself away and swum on. He swam towards the collapsible boat Drew was on, an oar wielding Drew now savagely striking at anyone who dared to try and scramble aboard.

"Back!" he yelled, knocking one man away. "Get back!"

As Felix approached the boat a terrible swishing sound filled the air, the stay cables along the top of the nearby funnel snapping off, lashing into the water with the force of steel cables. Hearing the sound of groaning and twisting metal, Felix turned, barely in time to see the funnel toppling towards him like a tremendous pillar. Before he could even scream the funnel slammed down hard, sending up a huge wave in either direction, the two collapsible boats being washed off the deck, one of them still upside down. Drew blanched in disgust as Felix's mangled body bobbed to the surface nearby and turned away, striking another man with his oar.

"I said get back!!" he spat. "You'll swamp us!"

Kim and Ron struggled along the well deck, people screaming as the lights flickered off and on several times. The stern was rising more quickly now, the ships propellers a good twenty feet above the water and rising. The pair were slowed down at a set of stairs heading further aft, a passenger ahead of them moving along slowly and muttering to himself.

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death… I will fear no…"

"Hey pal!" Ron said, shoving him along faster. "You mind walking through that valley a little faster? We don't got all day here!"

Senor Senior Sr looked up at the dome capping the grand staircase as it groaned loudly, and found himself screaming out loud as it caved in, a massive waterfall of water cascading down upon him and the other screaming passengers, swallowing them all up in seconds. Through the length of the ship horrendous crashing sounds filled the air as the churning water smashed its way along corridors, doors flying off their hinges and furniture being smashed under the weight of the water. Kim and Ron continued to move aft, struggling along the poop deck and passing by Father Byles, the ships minister, who's voice was raised in prayer, a large number of passengers clustered around him, praying and sobbing quietly.

"Holy Mary, mother of god" he was saying, his voice trembling. "Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Hail Mary full of grace…"

Climbing at more than a forty-five degree angle, Kim and Ron kept going, soon arriving at the stern railing, the very spot where Ron had pulled Kim to safety just days earlier, a time that now seemed like a lifetime ago. As they clung to the railings the minister's voice rang out clearly among the panicked sounds around them.

"And I saw a new heaven and a new Earth. For the first heaven and the first Earth had passed away…" He clung onto a nearby railing to steady himself, his voice breaking with emotion. "And there was no more sea!"

Kim looked around at the people clinging to the railing beside her, a young mother cradling her child and whispering softly to him, another young woman nearly the same age as her locking eyes with Kim for a moment before turning away sadly.

"And he shall dwell with them…and they shall be his people!" said the minister. "And God himself shall be with them and be their god!"

"Ron!" Kim said, clinging to him and looking up at the flagpole behind them. "This is where we first met…"

Ron chuckled weakly, kissing the top of her head and clinging to her tightly.

"And God shall wipe away the tears from their eyes!" said the minister "And there shall be no more death. Neither shall there be sorrow or crying, neither shall there be any more pain" His voice faltered. "For the former world has passed away…"

As the ship continued to tilt further everything not bolted down began raining down onto the floor, countless pieces of china toppling from pantry cupboards, chairs and beds crashing across rooms, a grand piano rolling across the floor and crashing into the wall, smashing on impact. All along the boat and promenade deck people began to lose their footings, tumbling hundred of feet down the deck and into the water. One man, trying to climb over the stern rail, overbalanced and toppled forward, his arms and legs flailing as he fell past the propellers, dropping over 120 feet before hitting the ocean. Several hundred yards away, aboard lifeboat number six, Ruth Possible stared at the distant sight of the dying ship, its lights blazing and over a thousand people swarming over its surface like a swarm of angry bees. The image is one that will be forever burned into her minds eye, unimaginable in its horror. She lowered her eyes, shuddering deeply. Beside her, Monique continued to look on.

"God almighty…" she whispered.

* * *

Struggling in near darkness, Chief Engineer Edwards and a number of his men remained working in the engine room, climbing over pipes and machines in a desperate attempt to keep the ships power on. 

"Keep those breakers in!" Edwards shouted, climbing awkwardly towards the breaker panel. "Keep them in!"

The man ahead of him pulled himself over to the breaker panel, not noticing how violently it was sparking as water sprayed over it. Taking hold of two of the panels he suddenly screamed, his whole body flashing white as thousands of volts were discharged through him.

* * *

All at once the lights of the Titanic went out, plunging the ship into darkness. Screams rang out as the ship hung suspended in the air, its vast silhouette blocking out the stars behind it. Just beyond the third funnel, Miss Go was clinging to a railing, a deep gash lining her forehead and her long nails digging deeply into the wood in order to prevent herself falling. For what seemed like the hundredth time she cursed her decision to not abandon Lipsky and get on a boat when she could have, her hands flaring up in the darkness. She was broken out of her enraged stupor by the terrible sound of creaking and twisting metal that ran through the length of the ship. Looking down in horror, she saw the hull suddenly split in two mere feet away from her, the stern section tearing loose from the bow. Turning away she tried to force her way further aft, when the stay cables on the nearby funnel suddenly snapped, slashing across the deck like vast whips, smashing everything they hit. One landed right in front of her, the railing beside her literally disintegrating under the force of impact. Finding herself with nothing to hold onto, Miss Go began teetering backwards, her hands flailing in the air. 

"**DRAKKEN**!" she screamed.

Screaming like a banshee she toppled headlong into the forming gap and disappeared from sight, a number of other passengers sharing her fate. As the hull split all the way down to the keel, the stern section began plummeting back towards the water, a number of unfortunate swimmers below letting out squeals of terror before being silenced forever by the vast keel coming down hard on them like the Hand of Judgement. The stern section sent out massive waves of displaced water as it landed, the four hundred foot section now laying level in the water, the two remaining funnels toppling out of sight. A number of passengers actually let go of their handholds, believing beyond hope that they were somehow out of danger. But as the massive breach in the hull filled with water the terrible mechanics of the situation came into play. As the flooded bow section began to sink it pulled the stern section with it, the stern rising sharply into the air, within seconds going beyond a forty-five degree angle. Then beyond sixty. Unable to hold on, a number of passengers began tumbling down the deck, smashing into other passengers as they fell, wrenching them loose as well.

"We need to move Kim!" Ron bellowed.

Almost mimicking his previous actions, Ron climbed over the stern rail, pulling Kim over with him just as the stern section finished rising and came to a halt, now hanging completely vertical in the water. Silence descended as it bobbed in the water like a vast cork, broken only by the occasional scream as someone plummeted into the water below, which was now churning with foam as the stern flooded.

Kim looked to her side. Apart from her and Ron, only one other had managed to climb over the stern railing. Chief Baker Joughin, quite clearly drunk, took a silver hipflask from his pocket, draining its contents and grinning at her.

"Been one helluva night… aint it?" he said.

Before Kim could open her lips to reply the stern lurched violently and began to descend, dropping like a vast elevator towards the ocean's depths. Ron struggled to his feet, pulling Kim up alongside him and speaking rapidly into her ear.

"This is in Kim! When I tell you, take a deep breath and hold it as long as you can! The suction is going to pull us down, so kick as hard as you can and head for the surface! Keep a tight hold of my hand and do NOT stop kicking! We're going to make it Kim! Trust me!"

Kim watched as the water rushed closer and closer by the second, the ships propellers disappearing below the broiling sea. She gripped his hand tightly.

"I trust you!" she said.

The water was barely thirty feet below them now, then twenty, then ten.

"Ready?!" yelled Ron. "NOW!"

Kim closed her eyes and sucked in a deep lungful of air right as the stern disappeared below them and then were sucked down below the surface. Underwater, bodies were spiralling out of control in all directions, the suction pulling them downwards as the Titanic disappeared out of sight. Her lungs already beginning to burn, Kim kicked upwards with all her might, forcing her way towards the surface. Almost there, she jolted with alarm with she felt Ron's hands slipping from hers, her eyes unable to locate him in the foamy water as she twisted around in an effort to locate him. Her body screaming for oxygen she broke the surface with a gasp, emerging onto a scene of utter pandemonium. All around her, over a thousand desperate people were splashing, screaming and swimming in all directions, their mingled cries for help rising in the air. Kim spun around in the water, trying to spot Ron.

"RON!!!" she screamed, her voice almost completely drowned out by the chaos around her. "RON!!!"

She opened her mouth to scream again, but found herself choking as her head was forced underwater, a man without a lifejacket trying to scramble over her in his desperate struggle to stay alive in the below freezing water. Fighting mightily, Kim managed to push him off, forcing her way back to the surface again. But instantly the man was upon her again, threatening to submerge her once more.

"KIM!" came a voice from nearby. "GET OFF HER!! I SAID GET OFF HER!!"

Ron arrived a moment later, seeing that the man was too far gone with fear to have even heard what was said to him. Balling up his fast he slammed it into the mans face several times, knocking him away. Ron grabbed hold of Kim, pulling her along with him.

"We need to move Kim!" he shouted. "I need you to swim!"

Clutching tightly to one another, they began struggling through the maelstrom of panicked swimmers, a few of the bodies they passed already dead, fighting their way towards the edge of the swarm. Spotting a large carved wooden frame nearby, Ron swam towards it, panting with exertion.

"Here!" he panted. "Climb on this"

Kim nodded and slithered her way onto the frame, laying face down on it. Ron attempted to climb on after her, but the moment he did the frame began to capsize, almost dislodging Kim in the process. Realising that the frame would never support both their weight at the same time Ron swam round to the front of the frame, his face mere inches from Kim's as he clung to the side.

"It'll be alright now" he said, his breath rising like a fog. "It'll be alright…"

Ten feet away, clinging to a table, was one of the last remaining ships officers, Chief Officer Wilde. He was blowing on a whistle furiously, the shrill cry rising above the cacophony of wailing voices.

"RETURN… THE BOATS!!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, blowing his whistle again. "RETURN THE BOATS!!!"

"See?" said Ron, his lips beginning to turn blue. "We just need to wait a little bit longer. The boats had to row away to escape from the suction… but now they'll be coming back."

Shivering, and with her own lips beginning to turn blue, Kim nodded, trying to block out the terrible din of screeching and cries for help that were ringing out all around them.

* * *

Floating some distance off, the First Class women in boat number six listened in silence to the sounds of screaming and yelling voices drifting across the water towards them. The sound of a whistle blowing several times was clearly audible. Ruth Possible was nearly catatonic at this point, staring vacantly into space. 

"You don't understand!" said Quartermaster Hitchins, the sailor in charge of their boat. "If we go back now they'll swamp the boat in seconds. We'll all be killed!"

"Knock it off!" said Monique roughly, standing up. "You're scaring people. I say we go back!" She looked back at the other passengers. "Come on girls, grab an oar!"

"Are you insane?" spat the Quartermaster. "We are in the middle of the North Atlantic! Do you people want to live, or do you want to die?!"

Monique looked around frantically, seeing that none of the women were moving towards the oars. Most of them were huddled together in fear, and only a few would even look her in the eye.

"What's the matter with all of you?" Monique demanded. "It's your men out there! How can you not want to save them? We have plenty of room for more!"

"Yeah?" snarled Hitchins. "Well there'll be one more space on this boat if you don't sit down right now and SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Seeing that nobody was going to come to her defence, Monique reluctantly slumped back down in her seat, pulling Ruth into her arms, who was now weeping silently.

Around five hundred yards further off, Fifth Officer Lowe had managed to round up boats ten, twelve and collapsible boat D along with his own boat fourteen, and was supervising as the seamen aboard them began lashing the boats together, using electric torches to illuminate their work. He turned and stared out into the darkness, the wails and screams diminishing somewhat, but never stopping for an instant. His jaw set firm as he gathered his courage, turning back to his men.

"Right you lot, listen to me!" he yelled, his voice booming. "We have to go back! I want you to transfer all the women from this boat into that boat there! As quick as you can please!"

It was a testament to the young officers commanding tone that the sailors, although frightened, didn't hesitate to carry out his orders

* * *

Back at the spot where the Titanic had plunged beneath the waves, the water was once again glassy and calm, a deathly hush beginning to fall over the area as most of the passengers stopped pleading for help, the ones that still did sounding more and more feeble. Many of them had stopped moving completely, their bodies giving in to the elements. Near Kim and Ron, Chief Office Wilde clung frozen to his table; his whistle still perched in his lips. He was clearly dead, killed by the exposure to the icy water. Kim managed to open her eyes as she looked up at Ron, both their lips bright blue and their skin chalk white. 

"It's getting quiet…" she said softly.

"It'll be ok" Ron said, his teeth chattering. "They just need a little time to organise the boats. They'll be here soon." He managed a weak chuckle. "I don't know about you…but I intend to write a strongly worded letter of complaint to the White Star Line about all this…"

Kim tried to laugh back, but the sound died on her lips the moment she opened them. She knew the truth of the matter, even if Ron tried to reassure her otherwise. There would be no boats coming back for them. It was only a matter of time now before they passed out from the cold and never awoke again. Reaching forward, she pressed her almost numb lips to his, trying to smile.

"I love you Ron" she whispered.

"Don't you do that Kim!" Ron said firmly, though his voice stammered. "Don't you start saying your goodbyes, like this is the end. You're not giving up yet. I wont let you!"

"But I'm so cold" Kim said weakly.

"Listen to me Kim" Ron said. "You are going to get out of here. You still have so much to live for. You still got all those criminals to catch…remember that? You're going to survive. And you're going to find someone to spend the rest of your life with. And make lots of babies… and watch them grow up. You're going to die an old, old lady… warm in her bed! Not here. And not this night. Do you understand me Kim?"

Kim stared back at him, her mind struggling to take in what was being said to her as it began to shut down, her whole body almost completely numb from the cold.

"I can't feel my body" she said stupidly.

Ron grabbed hold of her hands, rubbing the feeling back into them and pressing his lips to her knuckles.

"Winning that ticket" he said softly. "Was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me. Because it brought you into my life. And I'm grateful for that Kim. I'm so very grateful."

His gaze became piercing once again, his hazel eyes shining clearly.

"You must do me this honour. Promise me, that no matter what happens, no matter how impossible the odds seem… you will never give up. Promise me now Kim! And never let go of that promise!"

"I promise" she whispered, his eyes shining with tears.

Ron nodded and closed his eyes, his breath fast and shallow as he lowered his head onto the frame. Feeling hopelessly drowsy Kim laid her head down beside his, struggling to stay awake.

* * *

Lifeboat fourteen moved steadily through the water, heading back towards the area the Titanic had sunk, the air now eerily silent. Office Lowe and several other men held torches in their hands, using them like searchlights as they scanned the water for survivors. Slowly a field of debris came into view, then moment's later bodies appeared in the water, packed together more and more tightly the further ahead they looked. 

"Oars!" called Lowe.

As the seamen raised their oars from the water the boat glided in amongst the columns of bodies, all silent and unmoving, their eyes glassy and staring, frost clinging to their hair and clothes.

"Do you see any moving?" he asked.

"No sir" said a man beside him, looking stricken. "None moving."

"Well check them!" said Lowe. "Make sure!"

As the men began pulling bodies towards them, checking for signs of life the boat continued on, the men at the oars being careful not to hit any of the bodies. Once or twice they actually found a living person, barely clinging to life as they were pulled into the boat, one of them being Chief Baker Joughin, his cheeks flushed and his pupils dilated. As they were attended to the boat continued along, weaving through the endless rows of dead bodies.

"Hello?" cried Lowe, searching with his torch for any other survivors. "Is anyone alive out there?! Can anyone hear me?!"

His torch beam illuminated a lone woman, one arm still clinging to the lifeless body of her baby. Lowe stared in horror, experiencing the worst moment of his entire life.

"We waited too long" he choked out.

* * *

Kim, who had rolled onto her back, was staring up at the sea of stars above her, her mind in a state of delirium. Her lips were working together gently, her voice thin and strained as she sang to herself. 

"Come Josephine… in my flying machine …and its… up she goes …up she goes."

A beam of torchlight illuminated one side of her face, her eyes scanning to the side in puzzlement. Moving a short distance away, travelling parallel to their position, was a lifeboat, a man standing at the front of the boat shouting something, though his words seemed strangely distorted to Kim's numbed hearing.

"… alive out there?" came the voice. "Hello? Is anyone alive out there?"

Blinking drunkenly, Kim rolled over, shaking Ron's hand, trying to wake him.

"Ron" she said weakly. "Ron? There's a boat Ron…" she shook him harder. "Ron?"

Ron bobbed silently in place, his hair and nose dabbed with frost, no longer seeming to be breathing. He remained motionless as Kim shook him

"Ron?" she said shrilly, her voice growing louder. "Ron please, wake up! There's a boat Ron! Like you said there would be! Ron! Ron!"

A wretched sob escaped her lips as realisation hits her. Her eyes swelling with tears, she laid her head back down beside his, the will to live draining out of her. If he was dead, she wanted nothing more now than to die beside him.

"Can anyone here me?" came the distant voice. "Hello?!"

Kim wept silently and closed her eyes, giving herself over to the elements. But as she did Ron's last words to her rang in her mind, over and over_. Promise me, that no matter what happens, no matter how impossible the odds seem… you will never give up_. Her eyes snapped open.

"Come back!" she cried weakly, raising her head. "Come back!"

But her voice was too strained and thin, the lifeboat already turned away and heading in the opposite direction. Freeing her hands from Ron, she began to paddle towards the nearby officer, using the frame like a kind of surfboard. The moment the two pieces of wood clunked together she snatched the whistle from the dead mans lips and raised it to her lips, blowing as hard as she could.

"Is anyone…" called Lowe, breaking off when he heard the whistle blowing from behind them. His eyes went wide. "COME ABOUT!!"

Kim kept blowing the whistle even as the lifeboat came alongside her, the sailors reaching over to pull her in. But Kim, crying frantically, refused to allow herself to be pulled apart from the prone figure of Ron, even when they insisted there was nothing they could do to help him. In the end were forced to pull both Kim and Ron into the boat together, watching with uncertainly as Kim kept a grip of his silent body as they were bundled under blankets together. Looking at each other grimly, the sailors moved on, looking for more survivors.

* * *

The echoes of that whistle still vivid in her mind, Old Kim opened her eyes, looking around at the spellbound audience. Tara was in tears by this point, as were several of the men, the stark reality of what had happened all those years before coming to them as it never had before. 

"Fifteen Hundred people went into the water that night" said Kim. "When Titanic sank from under us. There were twenty boats floating nearby…and only one came back" Her voice became bitter. "_One_! Six people were pulled from the water, myself included. _Six_ …out of fifteen hundred!"

She forced herself to calm down, her eyes sad.

"Afterwards… the seven hundred people in the boats had nothing to do but wait. Wait to live. Wait to die. Wait for an absolution…that would never come."

* * *

In the dim light of pre-dawn, Lord Fiske sat in a lifeboat, staring vacantly into space, overwhelmed with guilt. In another, Drew hesitated as he was offered a hip flask by one of the boiler room workers, his trembling hands accepting it gratefully and putting it to his lips. In lifeboat six, Monique cradled Ruth in her arms, murmering softly and delicately stroking her hair. In lifeboat fourteen, Kim lay clinging to Ron, barely conscious as she watched Lowe spark a green flare to life, waving it above his head and shouting. She closed her eyes for what seemed like a moment, opening them again to find it was now dawn, a number of lifeboats making their way towards a cruise ship that was approaching, the letters CARPATHIA visible on her hull. Finally succumbing to exhaustion, Kim closed her eyes and knew no more.

* * *

Kim awoke on the afternoon of the fifteenth, her eyes slowly coming back into focus. She was below deck, in an alcove on what appeared to be a cargo hold, a large number of Titanic survivors spread out across the room. A man, dressed like a ships surgeon, was standing above her, speaking to another man. 

"Amazing he lasted so long really…" he was saying. "Can't imagine how he did it."

As the haze lifted from her mind, Kim was able to take in more of her surroundings. She was currently wrapped in several layers of blankets on a makeshift bed, and someone was tucked in beside her. Half turning, she saw Ron's face, still pale and motionless, his eyes close.

"Ron?" she said, tugging at him. "Ron?!"

The two men above her jumped when they realised she was awake, the surgeon leaning down to comfort her.

"It's alright Miss" he said, trying to calm her. "He's not dead. He was damn close to it though, when they brought him aboard. From the look of him, they would have probably left him where they found him, but you wouldn't let go of him the whole time. We had to put the two of you here together to keep you quiet."

Kim took several shaky breaths, her fingers tracing the details of his face. Now that she took the time to look at him in more detail, the signs of life were there to see. His lips were no longer blue, and although his skin was pale, there was a small amount of heat radiating from it, and his chest was raising and falling slowly as he breathed. Sobbing with relief, Kim kissed his face several times, turning and swinging her legs onto the floor, the surgeon helping her to her feet.

"Now Miss" he cautioned. "You need to take it easy. And your…companion here needs to stay in bed for at least a full day. He's not completely out of the woods yet."

With Kim's reassurance that she would not exert herself, the men moved on, having many other sick patients to deal with. Kim sat down on top of the blankets covering Ron, pulling them up to his chin and stroking his hair lovingly. So preoccupied was she with watching his sleeping form that she failed to spot a shadow falling over her.

"Kimberly Anne Possible!"

Kim jumped to her feet, whirling round in a panic. A moment later she sagged with relief, seeing Monique Brown standing in front of her, her hands on her hips.

"You scared the life out of me girl!" Monique said in mock anger. "Now get your buns over here and give me a hug!"

Smiling the two women clung together, Monique ruffling Kim's long red hair.

"You have no idea how glad I am you're still alive" Monique said, pulling back. "What about…?"

Kim motioned behind her, Monique finally spotting the sleeping figure curled up under the blankets. She sighed with relief, nodding.

"I'm glad you both made it." She lowered her voice. "So what will you do now?"

Kim hesitated, biting her lip. Although she had been so sure of her course of action before the Titanic had struck the iceberg, she was now reluctant to follow through with her plans.

"I don't know Nique" she said quietly. "I want to be with Ron… but what about my mother? If I don't marry Drew…we have debts we cant pay… I don't know what'll happen to her."

"Don't you fret about that" Monique said firmly. "After all this, your mother seems a lot more kindly disposed towards me than she did before. I'm going to ask her to come live with me. My husbands got plenty of cash, we can easily settle her debts."

"But…" protested Kim.

"No buts Kim!" said Monique. "And don't worry. I won't tell anyone that I saw you here today. As far as I know, you went down with the ship"

Reaching up, she pulled Kim into a hug, kissing the top of her head.

"You take good care of yourself girl. And don't be afraid to drop me a postcard now and then… to let me know how you're doing."

Without another word Monique turned and walked away, disappearing through the cargo hold door. Smiling after her, Kim brushed away a single tear from her eye and sat back down, kissing Ron gently.

"It's just you and me now baby" she whispered.

* * *

A few hours later Kim stood on the deck of the Carpathia, one among many other survivors all huddled together, men stacking lifejackets together in a huge pile. Drew descended a set of stairs towards the stern section, his eyes alert for any woman with red hair among the crowd. A steward, seeing his ripped tuxedo, intercepted him. 

"Sir, you wont find any of your people back here" he said. "Its all steerage."

Ignoring him, Drew pressed on, walking the full length of the deck in search of Kim. Once he stood mere feet away from her, but with a shawl held tightly over her head and her back turned, he did not recognize her. Sighing in defeat he turned away and began making his way back along the length of the ship. Kim glanced back, seeing him disappear back into the crowd.

_That was the last time that I ever saw him. He found himself another woman to be his trophy wife and went on to launch his schemes for world domination. But without Miss Go to back him up, he turned out to be a rather ineffective villain, and when the police finally cornered him at his hideout, he put a pistol in his mouth… or so I read._

* * *

On the evening of the eighteenth, Kim stood on the boat deck, heedless of the lashing rain as she watched the Statue or Liberty passing by the side of the ship, its torch burning brightly. An officer carrying a passenger list walked up to her, using an umbrella to keep it dry. 

"Can I take your name please, love?" he asked.

Kim glanced at him, turning her attention back to the statue.

"Stoppable" she said softly. "Kim Stoppable."

* * *

"I don't understand" said Josh. "If Ron survived… how did you end up married to that Calvert guy?" 

"That's a complicated story" said Kim, stroking the jade butterfly hairclip in her hand. "Tell me Mr Load, what records were you able to recover about Ron?"

"Nothing" admitted Wade. "There were no records about him at all."

"Well there wouldn't be would there?" said Kim. "He was never an official passenger aboard the Titanic, and he was still unconscious when we pulled into New York. He was listed as a John Doe and taken to a nearby hospital. It was almost two weeks before he recovered enough to leave. We slipped out the rear entrance the first chance we got and never looked back."

"Wait…" said Tara slowly. "You mean to say that grandpa Ronnie and Ron stoppable were…?"

"The same person" Kim nodded. "We really did go on to fight crime together. We were like private detectives in public and vigilantes in secret. We got married and a few years later I became pregnant. That's when we knew we had to stop…"

"But I checked those records" Wade protested. "There were a few newspaper clippings about your crime fighting work, but the pictures only had you in them."

Kim chuckled. "Ah that was Ron all right. He always shied away from the limelight. And with the attention focused on me being a _female_ crime fighter, he ended up being ignored completely by the press."

"So why the change of name?" asked Josh.

"We had made some nasty enemies" said Kim softly. "Especially among the emerging organised crime families. When I became pregnant, we feared for the safety of our child. But we had some friends in the justice department and we were able to arrange to have our old records….disappear. Then we changed our names and moved across country" Her eyes twinkled as she saw Wade's incredulous stare. "You must remember that this was before the days of electronic record keeping. Disappearing without a trace and starting a new life was a lot easier back then… if you knew how."

She sighed softly, her eyes seeming to look inwards.

"We had a long and happy life together. But we never told anyone about the true story of our coming together. Not even to our children. It became a precious secret that we shared." She smiled. "But now you know that there was a man called Ron Stoppable…and that he saved me, in every way that a person can be saved. I've missed him every single day since he passed away. I would trade all the pictures and mementos we gathered together for one more moment in his arms. He exists now… only in my memory."

* * *

On the ocean floor, the two submersible subs rose towards the surface for the last time, their lights gradually fading away until the Titanic was once again plunged into endless night.

* * *

Later that evening, a consolation party was taking place aboard the deck of the Keldysh, people dancing, drinking and feasting on barbecued food. Standing off from the rest, at the railing of the ship, Josh Mankey stood silently, watching the dark ocean below. Tara appeared at his side, a sad smile on her lips. Josh sighed and pulled out a cigar, rolling it in his fingers. 

"I was saving this for when we found the diamond…"

He tossed the cigar over the side of the ship, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry" said Tara.

"Three years" said Josh calmly. "For three years I've thought about nothing but Titanic. But I never got it. I never really let it in. Maybe I am just a grave robber after all…"

"No" said Tara, taking hold of his arm. "If you recognise the emotional significance of what happened here… then you're no grave robber."

Josh smiled and proffered his arm. "You know, after all this, I could really use a drink. Join me?"

Tara giggled and took hold of his arm, feeling like she was mirroring her grandmother's actions of years before. "Why Mr Mankey, I thought you would never ask!"

* * *

Dressed in her nightclothes, Kim padded along the silent deck, heading towards the aft railings. Reaching them she slowly pulled herself up, climbing onto the bottom rail, staring out at the rolling sea below. Holding up her hand, she slowly opened her palm, revealing the Heart of the Ocean diamond, still shining as brilliantly as it had the first time she had seen it. Her eyes closed and flashed back to an earlier memory. Standing in the rain aboard the Carpathia, she watched the officer with the passenger list walk away, feeling something digging into her skin through her coat pocket. Reaching in she pulled out the diamond necklace, staring down at it in wonder. Kim opened her eyes again and smiled down at it. 

"The hardest thing about being so poor" she said, speaking to herself. "Was knowing how rich we really were. But anytime one of us suggested selling you, all the other had to do was point out how many innocent lives had been squashed by the Lipsky family to pay for you…and we knew the right thing to do."

Chuckling lightly, she suddenly gave a faux yelp of surprise, tossing her hand forward. The diamond soared through the air and landed with a splash, spiralling endlessly as it sank into the ocean and disappeared. She looked up at the night's sky, awash with stars.

"That was for you baby" she said softly.

* * *

Lying in her darkened cabin, Kim slept soundly in her bed, her many pictures laid out on the shelf beside her. A picture of Ron and Kim at their wedding day, Kim looking radiant in a gown of gossamer white. Another of Kim and Ron standing at the Santa Monica pier, wearing 'mission gear', private detective badges pinned to their tops. Another of Kim in a white Karate outfit, a black belt around her waist as she posed in a combat stance, one beside it showing her wearing boxing gloves and grinning at the camera. The one closest to the bed is a family portrait, a thirty something Kim and Ron standing with two small children, both blondes like their father, a young boy of around ten old with freckles and a five-year-old girl looking like a mirror image of her mother, except for the hair colour. In the bed Kim let out one long sigh and then lay still.

* * *

The wreckage of the Titanic loomed out of the darkness, lit by an ethereal light. From her point of view, the ship loomed closer, her vision taking her over the forecastle deck and onto the promenade deck. As she zoomed along the water suddenly vanished, the rust and ruined wood suddenly becoming whole again, the light beyond the ship becoming all consuming. The ship is whole again, looking as new as it did the day it was launched. A steward opened the door leading to the grand staircase, the interior filled with dozens of familiar faces. It was as though everyone she had known who had perished aboard the Titanic were pressed together in that vast space. As a seventeen-year-old Kim Possible walked towards the stairs in front of her, she passed by a smiling Brick and Felix, standing on his own two feet, the ships band and several of the officers tipping their hats as she passed. At the foot of the stairs she passed Mr Barkin, who smiled and winked at her. Ascending the stairs towards the carved clock, the man waiting at the top turned to face her, revealing a smiling seventeen-year-old Ron Stoppable, his blonde curls framing his face as he swept her into his arms. 

"I've missed you Kim" he said softly. "I love you."

"I love you too" she replied.

Beaming with happiness they drew together and kissed lovingly, together again at last and for all eternity, their watching audience breaking into applause as they looked on.

_Fade to black. Cue Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go on'_


	6. Authors Notes

**Authors Notes**

Phew! Well it's finally over! After all those months and months of putting it off, that little voice in my head will finally be silenced forever. Obviously I hope that whoever reads this story will have enjoyed it, but at the very least, at least I'll now have peace of mind.

There are a few points I'd like to review regarding my story…

**The similarity to the movie**

This was my first remotely serious attempt at writing for around eight years. I was still at school the last time I tried it. For that reason I didn't really feel confident about branching off completely from the plot of the movie and taking the story in a completely different direction. I tried to keep the characters as believable as possible though, and threw in as many original moments as I could.

**No Rufus?**

When I first started writing this, I thought about having Old Kim having an ancient naked mole rat as a pet, rather than a dog, which would then turn out to be Rufus. But for the life of me, I just couldn't work him into the main story, so I decided to cut him out completely, giving his name to the robotic drone Wade uses as a kind of cameo.

**Minor character placements**

Despite the huge cast of Titanic, it was very difficult to find places for a number of the KP cast. Motor Ed struck me as the perfect choice for the Chief Engineer. My very first idea for this story was him yelling "Full astern, seriously!" The image of it always made me laugh. The ships officers were extremely difficult to match up. With the exception of Will Du, none of the KP characters seemed to fit. Characters like Bonnie and the Seniors only managed to get small cameo roles, but I was satisfied with that. Bonnie seemed like the ideal choice for the wife of the richest man aboard the ship, even if she did have to be pregnant to rill the role. I think that would have been a small price to pay in her eyes.

**The fate of Shego**

Miss Go's fate remained uncertain as the story progressed. Twice I almost had her get into a lifeboat when she had the chance, but both times she stubbornly refused to go. Whatever else she was, she _was_ loyal. She stayed with Drakken right to the bitter end, even at the cost of her own life. Kinda hard to hate her under those circumstances, aint it?

**The fate of Ron**

I know a couple of people begged me in their reviews to keep Ron alive, but that didn't play any part in his eventual fate. I worded the dialogue in the opening chapter in such a way that he could have either lived or died the night Titanic went down, leaving me free to put off deciding on his fate for a later time. I didn't decide on which way to go with it until the very last possible moment, literally when I was writing the scene on the wooden frame. I hope my explanation on how Kim came to have a different last name, despite the fact Ron lived, was believable to everyone.

**The fate of the Diamond**

This is one plot point that underwent a major transformation in the end. Originally I intended for Kim to give the diamond to Josh, in exchange for her drawing. But in the end that seemed to flippant and out of character for Kim. So even though Rose tossing the diamond into the sea had always annoyed me, Kim ended up doing exactly the same thing. Life's funny that way…

**The end**

In the movie, when we see the vision of Titanic at the end, it's left up to the viewer to decide whether Rose is dreaming or has died and gone to some form of afterlife. In my version I want there to be no ambiguity. She did die, and she did go on to the afterlife, where she could spend the rest of eternity with the man with she loved. Whether or not that afterlife would really take the form of the Titanic forevermore… well who knows? I doubt Kim and Ron would care either way.

**The Future?**

So what happens next? I have no definite plans as yet, but I've been toying with another couple of story ideas that I might or might not start work on, but not for a little while.

As I said before, I hope this story has been enjoyable to you. My thanks go out to Disney for creating Kim Possible, James Cameron for creating one hell of a movie, Celine Dion for singing one of my all time favourite songs and to you for reading my story. If you wish to repay me at all, merely drop me a review and tell me what you thought!

Until next time. Be well.


End file.
